If your eyes are red, itchy, and watery. Or maybe your eyes and eyelid are inflamed. What do you do? Like most other people, surely you will go to the nearest medical store or chemist (as a medical store is called in Delhi). And ask for good eye drops. Of course, the chemist, in the right neighborhood-friendly spirit will be a better judge of your condition, you think. At least, he will know which eye drops are the best-selling ones. And he will know which ones earn him the best margins.
So why not know what you are putting into your eyes? One of the most delicate organs of our body. This blog is to inform you about the basics of eye drops. From tips and techniques to put the drops in your eyes, to understanding & differentiating the types available, this blog has it all. So read on and raise your awareness.
Contents
Step-By-Step Procedure of Putting In Eye Drops
Eye drops may have been prescribed to you for a wide variety of reasons — whether for treating glaucoma, eye infections to allergies and dry eyes. In many cases, eye drops are crucial to preserving your vision and protecting your eyes. Just make sure:
- You follow your doctor’s instructions,
- Do inform your doctor about any other drugs you may be prescribed, including over-the-counter items like vitamins, aspirin, and herbal supplements,
- Your doctor is aware of any allergies you may have.
To get the best benefit from your eye drops, you must use them properly. As with all other things, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. The same is true for putting eye drops in your eyes.
Before Putting in Eye Drops
- Wash your hands with soap and then dry them using a clean towel.
- Be careful not to touch the tip of the dropper to any other surface.
- Keep the dropper clean.
- Store eye drops and all medicines out of the reach of children.
- Store the eye drops according to the instructions on the bottle.
- Do Not use eye drops beyond its expiry date or beyond 30 days of opening the bottle. Whichever falls earlier, is the last date of usage.
- Remove the contact lenses. Except when the eye drops have been specifically prescribed to remoisten your contacts.
Steps of Eye Drops
- Lie down or bend your head back. Look up at the ceiling. Focus on a point on the ceiling.
- Place one or two fingers, about an inch below your eye and gently pull down to keep your eyes open and create a stretch between your lower eyelid and your eyeball.
- Pick the eye drop bottle with the other hand, pointing its nozzle downward. Taking the support of your face with this hand will help steady it.
- Hold the bottle about an inch away from your eyes. Be careful that the dropper doesn’t touch your eye or any other surface. This can infect the eye drops in the bottle.
- Squeeze lightly so that one drop gets released inside your lower lid.
- Wait for a few seconds and then gently close your eyes. Keep them closed for at least 2 minutes.
- Keep the head tilted back.
- Do not to blink, as this can force a part of the drop out of your eye before it has been absorbed.
- To keep as much of the drop on your eye as possible, press the inner corner of your eyelid (next to your nose), slightly. The tear duct is located here. Its purpose is to drain tears away from your eye and into your nose. By pressing this point, you close down it’s opening. And the eye drop doesn’t get drained away.
- Replace the cap securely. Remember not to wipe the dropper tip with anything to avoid contamination.
Things to Consider
- If you are prescribed more than 1 eye drop, wait at least 5 minutes before putting the next eye drop. This will prevent the first drop from being washed out before it has had time to work.
- When you need to use both a prescription eye drop and a lubrication eye drop on the same eye. Most doctors would advise that you put the medicinal eye drop first. And the lubricating ones later.
- If your hands shake, try resting your hand on your face to steady your hand. This way you will approach your eye from the side.
- If you face trouble getting the drop into your eye, turn your head to one side while lying down. Close your eyes. Put a drop in the inner corner of your eyelid (the side closest to your nose). Now as you open your eyes gently, the drop would drip into your eye.
- When you have arthritis in the hands, it would be difficult to hold the bottle. Then you can wrap the bottle, using a clean cloth or towel, and hold it.
- If you still find it difficult to put in the drops, take help from someone else.
- Do check with your ophthalmologist if it’s OK to store the drops in the refrigerator. Not only does it preserve the drops, but it also helps you to feel the drop when it hits the eye. So you will know where it has landed.
Types of Eye Diseases & Drops
Dry Eyes & Artificial Tears
Artificial tears are mostly available over the counter or online. They are the most common treatment method. There are many brand options available. You can ask around or try 2 or 3 to the one that works best for them.
They are used to keep the surface of your eyes moist. Just like the real tears. Still, different brands use different mixes of ingredients. It may be:
- Lubricants. All artificial tears will have this to keep your eyes moist.
- Electrolytes, like potassium and sodium, they help heal the surface of your eye.
- Guar gum. It is found in the oily drops. It is useful if your eyes tend to dry up quickly.
- Preservatives to prevent bacteria growth in the bottle. Be mindful of the preservatives. Because for some people, they worsen the dry eyes. Some people may be allergic to preservatives. While others may find that they irritate their eyes. So avoid artificial tears that contain preservatives if:
- They hurt your eyes.
- Your dry eye is worse.
- You need to use drops more than four to six times a day.
- Cyclosporine is a prescription-only eye drop intended to help treat those infections that cause dry eyes. This medication helps the eyes to produce more tears on its own. Mostly, it is to be applied twice a day.
- Lifitegrast is a small-molecule integrin antagonist that decreases T-cell-mediated inflammation. It is only available through prescription.
- Autologous blood serum drops are special drops made from a patient’s own blood. These are used in very critical conditions where a patient’s dry eyes are not responding to any other drops or treatment. These drops are produced by taking a sample of the person’s blood, removing the RBC (red blood cells), and adding a salt solution.
Cataract surgery
Before the Cataract Surgery, you’ll be asked to use eye drops to prevent infection. They also help in making your pupil larger and numb the area. After the cloudy lens has been removed and replaced, you will be prescribed some drops too. To lower the chances of infection and help you heal.
Read to know more about Cataract Prevention.
Glaucoma & Eye Drops
In Glaucoma, the fluid pressure increases inside your eyes, generally. It can result in serious optic nerve damage and vision loss if not treated in time. During the early stages, eye drops can reduce the amount of fluid your eye makes and help it get drained. These drops may also prevent people with high eye pressure from glaucoma growth.
If you have glaucoma, you shouldn’t use eye drops with vasoconstrictors. These are a kind of decongestants that make blood vessels in your eye smaller. That will increase your eye pressure.
Eye allergies
Drops can help with signs like itchy eyes, redness, tearing, watery discharge, stinging, and burning. You might try artificial tears, which don’t contain medication or drops that have:
- Antihistamines. To provide short-term relief.
- Mast cell stabilizers. Their work is quite similar to antihistamines but provides relief for a longer duration. Some eye drops contain both antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers for fast and long-lived relief.
- Decongestants. You can find them in most over-the-counter drops, including ones that reduce redness. They can be solo or with antihistamines. Don’t use them for more than 2 to 3 days. If you do, they tend to worsen your redness and swelling.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They help but might prickle or burn a little when you put them in.
- Prescription corticosteroids. To ease severe or chronic symptoms, but you are to use them for only a short time.
Conjunctivitis (Pink-Eye)
Drops can treat this irritation or infection of the conjunctiva. It is the clear membrane that lines your eyelid and covers your eye. If it has been caused by a bacterial or viral infection, you’ll be prescribed antibiotic drops. If allergies or something else in the air like chemicals or smoke (when you have not taken proper eye care in pollution) are to be blamed, the eye hospital Delhi may prescribe anti-inflammatory eye drops.
Dryness due to Contact lens
If your eyes are dry because you wear your contacts, over-the-counter drops can help. Whether you can and should use it while wearing your contacts or not, the ophthalmologist will be able to tell you the best.
Infected cornea (keratitis)
Again, the type of drops you get prescribed depends on the cause of the infection. Contact lenses can lead to bacterial or viral infections. Especially if you tend to wear them for longer periods. Some patients don’t replace the lenses, solutions, and cases as instructed. It can also happen if you keep them on while you swim. The doctor may prescribe an antibacterial eye drops for a minor infection. For a more severe problem, you might need fortified antibiotic drops or more extensive treatments. Maybe even surgery. Take your contacts out immediately and call the eye hospital Delhi, if you think your eyes are infected.
Corneal Transplant Surgery
You’ll be prescribed drops after this operation. In this Cornea Surgery, your diseased or the scarred cornea is replaced with a clear one (usually from an eye bank Delhi). The drops help with healing and limit rejection of the donor tissue.
Herpes Simplex Eye Infection
Early symptoms of this viral infection may include a painful sore on your eye surface, or eyelid, or an inflamed cornea. Timely treatment with antiviral eye drops or ointment can help prevent the damage.
LASIK eye surgery
You might have undergone this specs removal surgery to treat your nearsightedness, farsightedness, myopia, or astigmatism. You would have been prescribed eye drops before the surgery to numb your eye and prevent pain. After surgery, eye drops are prescribed to help you heal and prevent infection.
Addiction of Eye Drops
Some over-the-counter products that relieve symptoms of dry eyes and allergy symptoms. Or those that help you get rid of red eyes. They may contain vasoconstrictor, a type of decongestant, as mentioned above too. Once the patient stops using them, they may cause “rebound” swelling and redness. This swelling can lead to chronic eye redness. The condition may worsen with continued use. Ask your eye doctor which eye drops are safest for you.
Most artificial tears that do not contain preservatives, generally, don’t create an addiction. Because they only contain harmless moisturizers and no medication. Therefore they are considered very safe no matter how often they are used.
Some drops may contain benzalkonium chloride preservative. It can cause hypersensitivity reactions. Check with your doctor whenever you use an eye drops often or for a longer duration, such as for treatment of glaucoma.
If you have already tried different brands of lubricating eye drops and your eyes are still uncomfortable. Visit the best Eye Hospital Delhi Now!!!
Call +91-8851044355 and book an appointment. You also mail at eyemantra1@gmail.com.
Our team of well-experienced ophthalmologists will advise the best options for safely and effectively treat your dry eyes. Remember if you have any concerns about your eyes, from Retina Surgery, Specs Removal to Cataract Surgery, EyeMantra is the place to go.
Also Read:
Diet & Nutrition for healthy eyes
Convergence Exercises: Symptoms of Insufficiency & Treatment