How to Apply Eye Drops Correctly – A Guide from an Eye Doctor in Nelspruit

Step 1: Prepare properly

Before you even open the bottle:

• Wash your hands thoroughly

1. 1. 1. Use soap and water
   2. 2. Dry with a clean towel

• Prepare a clean surface

1. 1. 1. If you need to put the cap down, place it on a clean tissue or clean surface
   2. 2. Preferably, place the cap on its side, not flat with the inside touching the counter

• Avoid contaminating the cap and bottle

1. 1. Do not put your finger inside the cap
   2. Do not let the tip of the bottle touch your eye, eyelids, lashes or skin
   3. Some bottle tips are quite sharp – especially important after surgery

Contamination can introduce “bugs” into the bottle. For patients after cataract surgery, glaucoma treatment, or any other eye condition, keeping drops clean is critical.

Step 2: Understand your bottle and dose

Eye drop bottles are designed slightly differently:

• Most require a gentle squeeze to release a drop
• Some have a tapping mechanism on the top
• Others use a button or pump, similar to a nasal spray or asthma pump

Your doctor or pharmacist can show you how your specific bottle works, but the key rule is the same:

Almost all treatments require just ONE drop at a time.

If your instructions say “one drop four times a day”, that means:

• 1 drop, 4 times per day. Not 3-4 drops each time
• Using more drops does not improve the effect, it just wastes medication

Many patients come back to my rooms saying their bottle lasted only a week instead of a month. Almost always, they’ve been putting in multiple drops at once.

Step 3: The best position to get the drop into the eye

Instead of trying to hold the eye open and aim directly at the eyeball (which usually results in drops on the face), use this simple technique:

• Support the lower eyelid

1. 1. 1. Place your fingers just under the eye
   2. 2. You’ll feel a firm bone under the lower lid, it’s safe to press here, even after surgery

• Gently pull the lower lid downwards

• Create a “pocket”

1. 1. 1. Pulling the lid down forms a little fold or pocket at the bottom of the eye
   2. 2. This is where the drop should go. Not on the eyeball itself

• Look upwards

1. 1. 1. Look up towards the ceiling
   2. 2. This reduces the urge to blink and exposes the lower pocket

• Apply one drop

1. 1. 1. Hold the bottle above the lower lid pocket
   2. 2. Ensure the tip does not touch the eye or lashes
   3. 3. Gently squeeze one drop into that lower pocket (inferior fornix)

• Close gently and press the inner corner

1. 1. 1. Close your eyes gently – don’t squeeze hard

• With a clean finger, apply gentle pressure to the inner corner of the eye near the nose for about 20 seconds

This pressure helps:

• Reduce drainage of the drop into the nose
• Minimise systemic absorption (important for certain medications)
• Keep more of the medication on the eye where it’s needed

If you taste the drops in your throat afterwards (often bitter or strange), that’s the drops draining through the tear duct into your nose and throat; it’s common and expected.

Step 4: Using a mirror – or asking for help

Because you’re looking up, you can’t always see what you’re doing. Two tips:

• Use a mirror

• • Stand or sit in front of a mirror
  • Look at yourself with the other eye while you pull the lower lid down
  • Aim the drop into the pocket while watching in the mirror

• Ask someone to help

• • For many patients, especially elderly or those with shaky hands, having a family member help is easier
  • They can pull the lower lid down while you look up, and then place a drop into the pocket

As an eye doctor, I often encourage patients to bring a family member to the consultation so I can demonstrate the technique to both.

Step 5: Tips if your hands are shaky

If you struggle to hold the bottle steady:

• Try resting the bottle lightly on the bridge of your nose for support
• Once you’ve found a comfortable, repeatable position:
  • Pull the lower lid down to create the pocket
  • Use the supported hand to gently squeeze the bottle and release one drop

This reduces the bottle “floating around” and makes it easier to aim for the lower pocket.

Special case: Getting eye drops into children’s eyes

Children often:

• Pull away
• Squeeze their eyes shut
• Refuse to look up

Trying to open their lids and aim directly can be very difficult (and stressful for everyone). Another option is:

• Lie the child flat

1. 1. 1. On a bed, couch or changing table
   2. 2. Head tilted slightly backwards

• Apply the drop to the inner corner

1. 1. 1. With their eyes closed, place a drop in the inner corner of the eye (near the nose)

• Ask them to blink

1. 1. 1. When they open and blink, the drop often runs into the eye

This method isn’t perfect – some drops may spill onto the cheek, so you may use a bit more – but in real life, for a struggling child, it can be the only way to get any drops in at all.

Storing your eye drops correctly

After using your drops:

• Replace the cap firmly and cleanly
• Store the bottle in a clean, dry, cool place
• Some drops need refrigeration, others don’t
• Check the package insert or ask your doctor or pharmacist

Most multi-use bottles contain preservatives, but storage instructions still matter. If you’re unsure, ask your eye doctor how to store your specific medication, especially after surgery such as cataract surgery.

Common mistakes to avoid

Patients I see in practice often run into the same problems:

• Putting drops around the eye instead of into it
• Using too many drops at once, so the bottle finishes too quickly
• Touching the bottle tip to the eye or lashes, risking contamination
• Not finishing the prescribed course because “the bottle ran out early”

Any of these can indicate that your condition, whether after cataract surgery, for glaucoma, infection, or inflammation, is undertreated.

Final thoughts

If an eye specialist has given you eye drops, the treatment plan only works if the medicine reaches the eye.

If you’re unsure:

• Ask your eye doctor to watch you put in a drop during your consultation
• Bring a family member so they can learn the technique too
• Don’t be embarrassed, many patients struggle with this at first

Correct eye drop technique is a small skill that can make a big difference to your recovery and long-term eye health.