How to Put in Eye Drops

To get the full desired effect of your prescription or over-the-counter eye drops, follow these steps:

1. Read the directions – If you have prescription eye drops, follow your eye doctor’s instructions about how many drops to put in and how often to use them, along with any other important information. 
2. Wash your hands – It’s a good idea to wash your hands and dry them with a clean towel before touching your face, eyes, or any eye medication. 
3. Take off your glasses or remove your contacts – If you wear contact lenses, you’ll probably need to remove them before you administer any eye drops. Only leave your contacts in if your eye doctor has told you to do so, or if your drops are labeled as safe for use with contacts.
4. Open the medication – Shake the bottle first, then take off the cap. Be careful not to touch the tip because your fingers could contaminate it with bacteria. 
5. Get in position – Tilt your head back and look toward the ceiling or lie down. Focus on a spot away from the bottle and keep your eye wide open. 
6. Make an eye drop pocket – Before you use the drops, create a pocket between your lower eyelid and eyeball. Hold two fingers about an inch under your eye and pull down gently. 
7. Apply the drops – Hold the dropper about one inch above the pocket you created and gently squeeze the bottle so the prescribed number of drops lands in the pocket. Don’t touch your eye, eyelid, or eyelashes with the bottle. because this could transfer bacteria onto the dropper and into the medicine.
8. Keep your eye closed – After you put the prescribed drop(s) in your eye, keep that eye closed. Gently press your finger on the tear duct at the inner corner of your eye next to your nose. Hold your finger there for 30 seconds to two minutes. This helps keep the medicine in your eye and gives it time to absorb.
9. Don’t blink – Try to resist the urge to blink after applying your eye medication. If you do, some of the medicine may leak or drain out.
10. Wait before applying more drops – If you need to use more than one type of eye drop for your eye condition, wait three to five minutes after applying the first drops before using the next kind.    
11. Wash your hands – It’s a good idea to wash your hands again to remove any medication that may have dripped onto your skin.

Repeat these steps if you need to put drops in your other eye too.