• Carefully wash your hands and dry them.
  • Sit down or stand in a mirror.
  • Open the eye drop bottle.
  • Pull down your lower lid and tilt your head backwards.
  • Put one drop in the lower eyelid as you hold the dropper above your eye.
  • Be careful not to accidentally poke your eyes, lashes, or any part of your eye with the pointed dropper tip.
  • Blink several times as you let the lower lid go. Blinking spreads the eye drop medicine over the eye surface.
  • Wipe off any liquid or medicine drop that falls on your cheeks with a handkerchief or tissue.
  • Do the same number of drops for the other eye.
  • If your doctor prescribes you more than a drop or if you need two eye drops at the same time, better wait for a few minutes before applying the second eye drop to the eye. This would allow the first eye drop to do its work for a couple of minutes before being washed away by the second eye drop.

Pointers on eye drops

Eye drop medication should be sterile before opening the bottle. Once the bottle is opened, the following should be done:

  • Storing the bottle in a cool and dark place. Make sure that the bottle is tightly sealed as well.
  • Keep in mind that the dropper or the tip of the eye drop should never touch your eye or any other surface. This ensures that the eye drop medication is sterile.
  • Letting someone else use your eye drop is not advisable. Do not use other people’s eye drops as well.
  • Throw the bottle away according to its expiree date. The expiree date is usually four weeks after the bottle has been opened. There is an increased risk of infection if the eye drop medicine is kept longer than required.
  • Some patients may get to taste the eye drops or may have the sensation that the drops are going through their throats. These feelings are normal since the tear ducts or the ducts that drain the tears to the nose are the same ducts that drain the eye drop.
  • A few eye drop medications may cause slight stinging or irritation for a small period of time. In rare events, some patients show allergic reactions to the eye drops. Always make sure to tell the doctor what you feel after using the eye drops.
  • Never put contact lenses when you are applying eye drops.  Ask your doctor about it before wearing any.
  • Keep the eye drop medication away from children’s reach.