Your eyes feel tired.
One drop.
Plop.
…Did it go in?
Just to be safe, one more.
Oops. Some of it spilled out.
Better add another.
Before you know it, your cheek is better hydrated than your eye.
Sound familiar?
Your Eye Can’t Hold That Much
More eye drops don’t necessarily mean more effect.
For many common eye drops, one properly administered drop is enough.
Your eye can only hold a limited amount of liquid.
Add a second or third drop and your eye may seem to say,
“Sorry, we’re full.”
The extra liquid simply spills out and runs down your cheek.
What a waste.
Of medicine — and tears.
It’s In! Time to Blink, Blink, Blink…
The moment the drop goes in:
Blink, blink, blink.
It somehow feels as though you’re spreading the medicine all over your eye.
But after applying eye drops, it is generally better to gently close your eye.
Depending on the medicine and instructions, you may also be advised to gently press the inner corner of your eye, beside your nose.
This helps keep the medicine where it is needed.
With eye drops,
what you do after the drop matters too.
You’ve finally got that precious drop into your eye.
Don’t rush to chase it away.
What About the Drop Running Down Your Cheek?
Sometimes eye drops overflow anyway.
Grab a tissue and…
Rub, rub, rub?
No.
Gently dab.
The eye and the skin around it are delicate.
There is no need to scrub away the liquid.
Use a clean tissue or gauze and gently dab it away.
You used eye drops to help your eyes.
Ending up with irritated skin around them would be rather unfortunate.
They’re OTC Eye Drops. Can I Use Them Whenever I Want?
You bought them yourself at a drugstore.
Dry eyes.
Plop.
Tired from work.
Plop.
Just want your eyes to feel refreshed.
Plop.
Because they are available without a prescription, it can be easy to think you can use them as often as you like.
But OTC eye drops are still medicine.
Each product has its own directions, including how often it should be used.
Many multidose eye drops also contain preservatives to help prevent microbial contamination after opening.
Preservative-free products are available too.
So “I bought it myself” doesn’t mean “anything goes.”
Every now and then, turn the box around.
Those tiny letters are there for a reason.
Do People in France Press the Corners of Their Eyes Too?
So what happens overseas?
Do people use eye drops differently?
Surprisingly, not that differently.
Guidance from an eye hospital in the UK and from France’s public health insurance system includes familiar advice:
Use a drop.
Close the eye.
Press gently near the inner corner of the eye.
Wipe away excess liquid.
The basic ideas are remarkably similar to those used in Japan.
When it comes to eye drops,
Japanese eyes,
British eyes,
and French eyes
apparently aren’t so different after all.
Which, of course, makes sense.
Small Bottle. Still Medicine.
An eye-drop bottle is small.
A single drop is even smaller.
Maybe that’s why eye drops can feel more casual than tablets or capsules.
But there are still instructions:
How many drops?
How often?
What should you do afterward?
One tiny drop.
But it’s still medicine.
So the next time you reach for another “just in case” drop,
remember:
The first one may already be exactly where it needs to be.
How eye drops should be used varies by product and treatment. Always follow the package information and the instructions given by your doctor or pharmacist.
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