How to administer eye drops

You will need to clean your eye before administering your eye drops, as instructed by Prof. Stanga or one of the nurses after your surgery.

• You should always wash your hands before and after you put your eye drops in.
• You should avoid touching the dropper on any part of your eye, to avoid contamination or injury to the eye. Remember to place the lid to the drops on a clean surface whilst using.
• Tilt your head back, holding the bottle in one hand.
• With the other hand, lightly pull down the lower lid away from the eye, to create a gap.
• Squeeze the bottle carefully so that one drop falls into the gap created between the lower eyelid and the eyeball. The drop may smart; this is normal unless your eye becomes redder or painful.
• Keep your eyes closed for 1 minute. It will help to slowly count up to 60.
• Wipe away any excess liquid that did not go into the eye with a clean tissue and dispose of it immediately.
• If you have multiple drops to take, you should leave 3 minutes in between administering each. The frequency of each will be clearly labelled.
• Replace the bottle lid once done, and follow the storage instructions for the drops.
• If you run out of drops before the end of your treatment or your next appointment with Prof. Stanga, you can get more from your GP (Please bear this in mind to allow time for your GP to process your request).
• Ensure you check how long drops can be kept for once opened, before being thrown away.