Mistakes when using eye drops

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Hoang Thanh Nga - Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

Using eye drops correctly is simple but not everyone knows. Correct application of some notes when using eye drops will help increase the effectiveness of treatment and minimize the complications caused by using the wrong eye drops.

Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before applying eye drops. Check the expiration date of your eye drops. Make a note of the opening date because the expiry date after opening the eye drops is no more than 15 days. Shake the vial well before use. Tilt your head back, gently pull your lower eyelid, and put 1 or 2 drops in your eye. Close your eyes for 10 seconds, then open your eyes and blink continuously so that the medicine dissolves evenly If using 2 eye drops, it should be 5-10 minutes apart, the purpose is to avoid washing away the previous drug.

2.1 Do not use eye drops that are past their expiry date Although eye drops usually have a rather long shelf life, the special thing is that once opened, most eye drops can only be used for a short time (usually 15 days after opening the lid). Therefore, to avoid the danger of using expired medicine, the patient should not try to use it again, easily affecting the health of the eyes. As recommended, after opening the vial, note the date of opening the vial and absolutely do not use the opened medicine for more than 15 days.

2.2 Do not share eye drops with many people It is recommended to use them individually, do not use the same eye drops between many people. Because when sharing eye drops will increase the spread of pathogens (bacteria, microorganisms or dirt) from one person to another, especially eye-related diseases.

2.3 Do not apply more than 2 drops at a time The wrong habit of many people is that applying many drops of eye drops at the same time will increase the effect. However, in fact, our eyes can only hold up to 2 drops of medicine at a time, adding more drops only causes eye drops to flow out without bringing any effect. Although this is not harmful to the eyes, it is a waste of medicine.
2.4 Do not clean hands thoroughly before eye drops If not cleaned, bacteria from the hands can spread into the eyes or stay on the lid of the vial during eye drops. Therefore, a note when using eye drops is to wash your hands with antibacterial soap before using eye drops to ensure safety.
2.5 Do not use eye drops indiscriminately Unusual signs such as redness, itching, lumpy eyes ... will cause many people to buy eye drops without a doctor's prescription for treatment. However, this is a disastrous mistake because the use of improperly prescribed eye drops both causes the eyes to not be treated in time, severely affects the health of the eyes and brings dangers due to side effects. caused by eye drops.
Some eye drops contain vasoconstrictor ingredients or include anti-inflammatory corticosteroids, which, if used incorrectly, can cause glaucoma, cataracts, and vision problems for people. use.

2.6 Do not let the vial touch the eye The eye dropper bottle must be clean and sterile. If the vial touches the eyes, the ability to spread dirt and pathogens from the eyes (appears because the eyes are exposed to the air continuously during the day) increases and makes the eye drops no longer sterile, causing reverse damage. eye for the next use.

2.7 Non-compliance with treatment with eye drops Eye drops, like other medications, need to be taken at the right dose, at the right time, at the right time. Many patients arbitrarily use eye drops at any time or when they feel uncomfortable, they immediately drop their eyes. This is a huge mistake, because depending on the dosage form of the eye drops and the condition of the disease, the time to use the drug will be different.
Knowing the notes when using eye drops is very important, it is necessary to follow the instructions and instructions of the doctor to determine exactly how much time between eye drops is.
In addition, if using different types of eye drops, they should be separated by at least 30 minutes, should not be used at the same time because the eye drugs may interact with each other or the eyes cannot contain enough 2 types of eye drops at the same time. reduce the effectiveness of treatment.

2.8 Do not wear contact lenses when instilling eye drops This is considered a basic mistake of many people, the use of contact lenses when eye drops will interfere with the absorption of the drug thereby reducing the effectiveness of the eye drops. medicine. So, although it is a bit inconvenient, remember to remove your contact lenses before instilling the medicine in your eyes.
With 10 years of working in the field of Ophthalmology, she used to work at Thai Nguyen Central Hospital and held the position of deputy head of the department and in charge of the Department of Ophthalmology at Thai Nguyen University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Master Hoang Thanh Nga has a lot of experience in the field of examination and treatment of eye diseases. Currently, he is an Ophthalmologist at the Department of General Internal Medicine, Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.