Instructions for using your eye drops
- Wash your hands thoroughly
- Lie down or sit with your head tilted back and hold the bottle upside down in one hand between your thumb and index finger.
- Using your other hand, gently pull down the lower lid of your eye to form a pouch or a pocket and look up.
- Allow one drop at a time to enter the space between the lower lid and your eye.
- Remove any excess solution by wiping your eyelashes with a CLEAN tissue.
- If administrating more than one type of eye drop, wait at least five to ten minutes before administering the next type of eye drop.
Handy tips
- Your vision may be blurred for a short time after using drops. Don’t drive or operate machinery until you can see clearly again.
- Try not to let the dropper touch the eyelashes or the eye itself.
- Never rest the dropper on table tops, or other surfaces.
- Don’t breathe on the dropper.
- Store the bottle upright and firmly close the lid. Keep the bottle in a cool place or as directed.
- Dispose after 4 weeks of opening.
- Read the instructions on the label carefully and treat only the eye stated. Make sure you understand exactly what the instructions mean and follow them at all times. If in doubt – ask your pharmacist.
- If you are given a different bottle for each eye, make sure you use the correct bottle.
- If you think you may have difficulty using the eye drops, get someone to do it for you.
- Keep all medicines out of the reach of children. Avoid taking medicine in front of very young children who are likely to copy their elders.
- Complete the course. Don’t stop taking your medicines after you start to feel better, unless your doctor agrees.
- If you miss doses don’t try to catch up by taking two or three missed doses at once.
- Never share your medicines, even if someone else has similar symptoms.
Chart your medications
Eye drops are just like regular medication tablets that you take – for example, if you stop taking your blood pressure medication, your blood pressure goes up! Please keep taking your medications as prescribed.
It is sometimes worthwhile to write down the eye medications you are taking, and when. The table below is a guide.
