PROPER EYE DROP APPLICATION
Almost 20 percent of people are unable to self-administer eye drops. Others feel extreme anxiety at the thought of letting somebody else do it for them. And yet more, simply hate the idea of eye drops and remain defiantly non-compliant when their doctor prescribes one. Fear of eye drops is extremely common, as we’re conditioned to reflexively protect our eyes, and introduction of any foreign substance into them makes us feel threatened and defenseless.
So we blink, flinch, turn our face away, try to touch the dropper to our eyeballs… Anything to ease the agonizing sensation of a drop of strange, cold liquid falling directly into our eyes.
To make this sometimes necessary nuisance a little easier to endure, check out all the practical suggestions we have listed below:
6 Useful Tips On Eye Drop Application
- Don’t let the tip of the dropper come in direct contact with your eyeballs. There is always the risk of germ transfer if the tip touches your lashes, eyelids or any other part of the face.
- The sensation of discomfort when the liquid first touches your eyeballs can be significantly reduced if you warm the eye drop bottle first. Hold the bottle between your hands and gently roll for a minute or two to bring the liquid to room temperature.
- If you’re supposed to put more than one drop in, wait a good 5 minutes or so before adding the second. The eyelid can comfortably hold only one drop, and this interval will give the first drop enough time to work first.
- If your hands are shaking, put the eyedrop in from the side. This way, your hand can rest on your cheek to steady it.
- Another way to control shaking hands is to add some weight to your wrist. Use sporting weights if you have one at home, or simply tie any small 1-2 pound object in a scarf and tie around the wrist for extra support.
- If you have large hands and holding a small bottle steady is proving to be a problem, tie some cloth around the bottle to give you a better grip. This can also be quite helpful if you’re suffering from arthritis.
The Hard Way Of Putting Eye Drops
- If you’re fearful of using eye drops, then possibly the worst way you can do it is by holding the dropper directly above your face, and then watching the drop as it falls sloooowly into your eye. This can trigger anxiety, the same way an injection does if you’re watching the needle being prepared and then inserted into your arm.
- Also, you’re likely to balk at the last moment, causing the drop to land on top of your closed eyelid or elsewhere on the face. And then you have to go all over again…
The Easy Way Of Putting Eye Drops
- Stand or sit in front of a mirror.
- Angle your face slightly upwards, while you keep looking straight at your eyes in the mirror.
- With your left hand (if you’re right-handed), gently pull down the lower lid of the eye. This will create a sort of pocket or a cup to hold the liquid.
- Now take the dropper in your dominant hand and hold it up, so the tip is poised directly above the pocket in your lower lid.
- Be careful not to let the tip of the dropper touch your eye.
- Squeeze gently to allow one drop to fall into the pocket.
- It is done! Now all you have left to do is softly close your eyes and let the liquid spread around your eyeballs.
- If you hate the taste of the eye medication that sometimes runs into your throat, apply medium pressure between the inner corner of the eyes and the bridge of the nose to block the tear drainage duct. This way, the liquid is less likely to escape into your mouth.