Friday, 7 June 2013

Pharmacists' counsel: How to Apply Eye Drops

Eye drops may be prescribed for varying reasons. These include; the treatment of eye infections, inflammatory reactions or lowering of intraocular pressure as in glaucoma. A lot of people administer their eye drops wrongly and are not even aware that this often times may be what’s responsible for the delayed results of their meds or occurrence of other eye problems. Learn how to properly apply eye medication. Here's how:


  •      First of all, when opening eye drops for the first time, do not puncture the nozzle with sharp objects such as pins as these may actually contaminate the medication and put you at risk of developing infections. Rather screw in the cap tightly to allow the pin-like apparatus underneath the cap to pierce the dropper tip to open it

  •     Remember to wash your hands before use. 

  •      While tilting your head back, pull down the lower lid of your eye with your index finger to form a pocket. Gazing up, gently squeeze the bottle so that a single drop falls into the pocket made by the lower eyelid. 

  •    Close your eyes for a few minutes and tip your head down as if looking at the floor. Do not blink or squeeze the lids together to avoid spilling the just applied eye meds.  if you are to apply multiple drops, wait a few minutes before doing so.

Other counseling points
1.      Never breathe( or blow) on the nozzle
2.      Do not share eye drops with other people
3.      Do not allow the nozzle touch the eye during use ( should be as close as possible without making contact with the eye)
4.      Remove contact lenses before applying
5.      Remember to discard eye drops after four weeks

  

No comments:

Post a Comment