Tips For Putting In Eye Drops (3 Techniques That Work!)

Dr. Michele Lee, ophthalmologist, advises:

No fears, no tears

First, some tips, and then we’ll get to the specific methods:

• Refrigerate your eye drops: keeping them cold helps you feel the drop enter your eye, reducing uncertainty, and provides a soothing effect if you experience burning or dry eyes.
• Use your dominant hand: hold the bottle with your dominant hand and rest it on your non-dominant hand, which should pull down your lower eyelid. This helps ensure control and accuracy since squeezing the bottle requires some strength and steadiness.
• Maintain hygiene: wash your hands, place the bottle cap on a clean surface, and definitely avoid touching your eye with the dropper tip to prevent contamination.
• Use only one drop: the surface of the eye can hold only about 10 microlitres of fluid, but each drop is around 50 microlitres. This means that adding more won’t increase absorption—most of the extra medication simply spills out.
• Press on the inner corners: after applying the drop, close your eyes and gently press the inner corners to prevent drainage into your nose and bloodstream. This helps reduce systemic absorption, especially with medications like steroids or glaucoma drops.

Now, the methods:

1. The mirror method: tilt your head slightly upwards, look up, and aim the drop into the pocket between your lower eyelid and the white of your eye using your dominant hand.
2. The lying-down method: lie on your back and rest the bottle on your nose bridge, keeping the tip in your field of vision. Squeeze the bottle so the drop falls directly into your eye.
3. The inner-corner method: recline, and place a drop or two in the inner corner of your closed eyelid, then open your eyes and blink to draw the liquid in. This is especially good for children or people who are squeamish about touching their eyes.

This unsqueamish writer nevertheless finds method 3 easiest when eye drops are needed. How about you?

If you’d like visual demonstrations, here you go:

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Want to learn more?

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Eye Drops: Safety & Alternatives

Take care!