Download Alex`s Top Tips for putting in eye drops

Alex’s top tips for putting in eye drops
Transcript
Alex Morris
My name is Alex Morris, I’m 68 years of age. The reason I take eye
drops is that I suffer from ocular hypertension.
I take eye drops twice a day, and therefore it’s important to establish a
routine and do them at the same time every day. Breakfast is a good
time and perhaps just before you go to bed.
There is a risk of infection with eye drops. I always wash my hands
before I begin to put my eye drops in, and I also wash my hands when I
have finished putting in the eye drops.
When you open the lid of the eye drops, it’s important to put it on its
side, rather than downward on the surface of the table. This will reduce
infection.
And when you use the eye drops, it’s very important that they eye drops
do not touch the surface of the eye, as this reduces the chances of any
infections.
I move my eyelid to create a sort of pocket, and that helps the drops to
go in, and I can feel they have. I usually blink a couple of times, to make
sure the eye drops are circulating around the eye.
In order to keep the bottle sturdy, you can either balance it on the bridge
of your nose or hold it against your forehead.
It’s quite a good idea to put your finger on the corner of your eye and
hold it there for about 30 seconds. This should stop the problem of any
medicine taste entering your system.
In the evenings, before I go to bed, I put my eye drops in the bathroom
and I find it helpful to use a magnifying mirror, to ensure that the
medicines are correctly applied.
Sometimes I find it difficult to actually hold the eye drop container, and I
sometimes wrap a tissue around it, but I gather there are special devices
you can get from the pharmacist to help you do this if you want to.
Now generally, more medicine will come out of the container than you
need. Don’t worry about this. The eye will have had its dose and you
can just wipe it away with a tissue.
I take eye drops because I suffer from ocular hypertension – high eye
pressure – but there are lots of other conditions where people take eye
drops.
It’s important to continue to make sure that you can take your eye drops
regularly, unless you’re told to stop by your doctor.
Narrator
For more information, visit rnib.org.uk/eyehealth or call the helpline on
0303 123 9999.
RNIB – supporting people with sight loss.