How do I put eye drops in my eyes?

The following was written by Bill Evans and published in the Coolum and North Shore News, Ask the Professionals page on Friday, 29th April 2016.

Q: How do I put eye drops in my eyes?

A: Have you tried to put in eye drops and found that they run down your cheek instead of remaining in your eye? Here are some tips to prevent this happening, giving your medication the best chance to effectively manage or treat your condition. When using eye drops, tilt your head back slightly and look into a mirror. Use your index finger to gently pull down your lower eyelid, which will create a pocket for the drop. Now look up and tilt your head back further, release a drop into this pocket and gently close your eye. Press your index finger on the inside corner of your closed eye for about one minute to prevent the medication escaping down your tear duct.

It is important that you do not touch the nozzle of the bottle to your eye as this can transfer bacteria to the container.