How Should I Use Eyedrops?

Always wash and dry your hands first.

Shake the bottle if indicated on the label.

Remove the bottle cap and ensure that the dropper tip does not touch anything.

Pull your lower lid down with the tip of your finger to form a pocket. Hold the bottle between the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand and place the dispenser close to your eye. Some people prefer to look in the mirror while doing this.

Tilt your head back and gently squeeze the bottle until one drop goes into the pocket formed by the lower lid. Do not allow the dropper tip to touch your eye.

Your eye can only hold one drop at a time, so any more would be wasted.

Close your eye gently for a minute. This will allow the medication to be absorbed instead of flushed away by blinking.

Replace the cap on the bottle.

If you have more than one drop to take, wait at least 10 minutes between different eye drops so that the second drop will not wash away the first drop.

Wash off any medication that spills on your face and wash your hands again.

Tips

If you find it difficult to tell if the drop went on your eye correctly, try cooling the eye drops first in the refrigerator. It is much easier to feel a drop that is cool.

If you are unsure that the first drop was applied correctly, use a second drop. It is better to use two drops and possibly have some medication spill over your eyelids than to have no medication at all.

If you are taking a combination of eye drops and ointments at the same time, always use the drops a few minutes before the ointment.

Do not share eye drops with friends or family.

Use your eye drops on the day of an eye exam just as you would every day.

Bring your eye drops to every eye exam or write down the names of your eye drops with a written list of all your other medications and bring this list to your eye exam.

How Should I Apply Ointment to My Eyes?

Always wash and dry your hands first.

Remove the cap from the tube and ensure that the tip of the tube does not touch anything.

Pull your lower lid down with the tip of your finger to form a pocket. Hold the tube between the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand and squeeze a ¼ inch long ribbon of ointment on to the lower lid. Some people prefer to look in the mirror while doing this.

Close your eye gently for 1 minute. This will allow the medication to be absorbed instead of flushed away by blinking.

Replace the cap on the tube.

Any ointment on the eyelids may be wiped away with a tissue and then wash your hands again.

Tips
If you are taking a combination of eye drops and ointments at the same time, always use the drops a few minutes before the ointment.

Do not share eye ointment with friends or family.

Use your eye ointment on the day of an eye exam just as you would every day.

Bring your eye ointment to every eye exam or write down the name of your eye ointment with a written list of all your other medications and bring this list to your eye exam.

Important Note
The tip of the tube will unavoidably come in contact with your eyelid and so the ointment may become contaminated. For this reason you must not keep an open tube of eye ointment for more than one month. If you are to use an ointment for long term you will need a new tube every month.