In this blog post, we will discuss some “patient–induced “reasons why eye drops may not be as effective as they should be.
In other words, common mistakes we make when applying eye drops include:
USING MULTIPLE EYE DROPS AT A TIME.
In most cases, multiple eye drops may prescribed by your Optometrist to treat your complaints; however, you must avoid instilling them at the same time; if asked to use more than one eye drop, wait 3-5 minutes before using the other one; this will allow the efficacy of each drug to be optimum.
IMPROPER STORAGE OF EYE DROPS.
Most people are guilty of this, as they don’t know how to store eye drops; every eye drop has instructions; follow the instructions strictly, as wrong storage can degrade the content of the eye drop, leading to inefficacy.
INSTILLING EYE DROPS WHILE WEARING CONTACT LENS.
Remove contact lenses before applying eye drops unless it is a specific type of eye drop for contact lenses (re-wetting eye drops).
The ingredients in these eye drops do not interact well with contact lenses, so for maximum penetration in your ocular tissues, instill eye drops before lens insertion and wait 5-10 minutes before wearing back your contact lenses.
UNNECESSARY BLINKING AFTER INSTILLING EYE DROPS.
Another reason our eye drops are not as efficient as they should be is due to unnecessary blinking.
Some of us are under the false assumption that blinking the eyes after applying an eye drop will spread it across the eyes. The truth is that blinking can cause some of the drops to leak from the eyes, preventing maximum absorption.
Frequently blinking will cause the eye drops to go into the nose and the throat, hence the bitter taste you feel each time you apply eye drops. Instead of blinking, close your eyes for a minute or two.
We will stop here, and in our next post, we will discuss more of these common mistakes. For further inquiries or questions concerning the eyes, contact TREETOP VISION EYE CENTRE (TREVEC), the best eye clinic in Utako Abuja.
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