Eye drops are used for many reasons including dryness/pain relief, infection treatment, glaucoma treatment, lubrication for contact lenses, allergy relief, and much more. While eye drops can treat several issues, they can be tricky to administer. These are some easy steps you can take to administer eye drops safely and quickly. If you’re having exceptional difficulty, consult your doctor as soon as possible.

Things to Keep in Mind
• Always adhere to your doctor’s wishes.
• Inform your doctor about any drugs you’re currently taking, as well as any allergies you have.
• Cleanse your hands before administering your drops.
• Don’t allow the dropper tip to touch your eye.
• Allow a 5-minute span of time between drops. Each drop needs time to settle into your eye; applying a new drop too quickly can flush the prior one out.
• Keep your medicine(s) secured away from children and animals.

Administering Your Eye Drops

1. Tilt your head back. If it helps, you can lie down so that your eyes can easily receive the drops. Using your index finger, pull the bottom lid down enough so that the drops can easily make their way inside.

2. Look upwards. Administer one drop into the lower lid opening. Close the eye completely and remain that way for 3-4 minutes. This will allow the drop time to internally work its way down around your eye.

3. Dab around your eye with a soft tissue. In some cases, excess treatment can leak out from the lid. You can easily remove it with a tissue while your eye is closed.

Tips for Shaky Hands or Eyes

An eye dropper is a small instrument and guiding it in a precise path while remaining steady can be a difficult task for many people. You might also find that making the drop enter the eye is also a challenge. These tips can help improve your chances for success if you’re having trouble.

1. Administer the drops from the sides of your eyes. You’ll notice that doing this will allow you to rest your hand against your face, improving steadiness.

2. Use a wrist weight. Sporting goods stores sell wrist weights, and they can provide a slight improvement to hand shakiness.

3. For eye twitching, close your eyes. This trick works best if you’re lying down on your side. While your eyes are shut, dispense a drop onto the inner most corner of the eye. Don’t lie at an angle where the drop can roll away from the corner and onto the bridge of your nose. Once the drop has been administered, slowly open the eye and you’ll notice the drop gradually seep inside the lid.

4. Try again if you believe the drop may have missed. At any given time, the eye will hold roughly one drop’s worth of fluid. If you administer more than one drop at one time, the excess fluid will run away from the eye, preventing over-treatment. This makes it safe to administer another drop if you aren’t sure that the first drop made it all the way into the lid.

Tips for Holding the Bottle

You can easily get a better grip on the dropper or bottle by wrapping it with a cloth or paper towel. Additionally, if you suffer from arthritis, anything that will increase the width of the dropper or bottle will also help. Keep in mind there are also devices that can help with administering eye drops.