How to use eye drops correctly?👀

Nowadays, people often use electronic products such as mobile phones and computers. Watching the screen for a long time can easily cause eye discomfort. Whenever the eyes feel uncomfortable and dry, many people use eye drops to relieve the discomfort. However, not everyone knows the correct way to use eye drops and what to pay attention to when using them. The following will explain the correct use of eye drops.

1. Check the eye drops for any abnormality.

First of all, be sure to confirm whether the drug is an ophthalmic preparation. The pharmaceutical requirements for ophthalmic preparations are not the same as for general dosage forms. The resistance of the eyes is lower than that of the skin or the stomach. Ophthalmic preparations are used directly on the eyes, so their pharmaceutical requirements are much higher than those of general dosage forms. Medication in normal dosage form should not be used in the eyes. In addition, you should also check that the expiration date on the packaging has not expired when you use it. Not only eye drops, but all medicines should not be used after they have expired. All ophthalmic preparations should not continue to be used and should be thrown away if particles appear or if the color of the solution changes.

2. The correct procedure for eye drops.

You should wash your hands before applying eye drops or ointment. Then you can lie down or sit with your head thrown back. Use your index finger and thumb to gently pull the lower eyelid down to form a sac. Turn your eye upward so that your inferior fornix conjunctiva is fully exposed. Put the eye drops close to your eyelid. But do not touch the eyedrops on the eyelids, as this may contaminate the eyedrops. You dispense the eye drops as prescribed and close your eyes gently. Try not to blink immediately after instilling the eye drops. Gently press with one finger on the corner of the eye near the side of the nose for 1 to 2 minutes. If you don't do this, the eye drops may flow from the surface of the eye through the nasolacrimal duct into the nose and mouth. After 1 to 2 minutes you wipe off the excess eye drops with a clean tissue. 

When using eye ointment, squeeze a certain amount of eye ointment into the lower eyelid. Eye ointment should be squeezed into a thread. However, do not touch your eyelids or eyes when squeezing the ointment. Then close your eyes and roll them a few times. This allows the ointment to spread evenly.

3. How to store eye drops.

Eye drops bottles do not need to be wiped or rinsed after use, as this will contaminate the drops. Just screw the cap tightly and store it in a suitable environment. In addition, because the eye drops are sterile preparations, it is easy to breed bacteria after opening. Unless there are special regulations for eye drops, they should be used up within 1 month after opening. After opening, eye drops should be stored in a dry, cool place away from direct sunlight. Some eye drops will need to be refrigerated, but not frozen.

4. Precautions for combined use of eye drops.

Sometimes a patient may need to use several eye drops. However, these eye drops cannot be used together at the same time. Under normal circumstances, one eye drop is instilled first, and then another eye drop is applied 10 to 15 minutes later. If eye drops are used at the same time, the first eye drop is not fully absorbed and washed away by another eye drop. This can cause the first eye drop to be ineffective. 

In addition, in order to avoid eye drops that are too irritating to the eyes, it recommends that patients use less irritating eye drops first. For example, patients need to use levofloxacin eye drops and sodium hyaluronate eye drops in combination. It recommends that patients use sodium hyaluronate eye drops first, and then levofloxacin eye drops after 10 to 15 minutes. 

If the patient needs to use eye ointment and eye drops at the same time, it recommends using eye drops in the morning and eye ointment at night before going to bed. After applying eye ointment, the ointment spreads into a film on the cornea. This can affect vision. It recommends using eye ointment at bedtime.