The "dripping" keeps on happening, and the "hiding" is still in a mess. Uncover the code hidden in the small bottle of eye drops!

This is the 4221st article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

In the digital age, mobile phones, computers and other electronic devices have become tools that are closely related to our lives and work. More and more people are experiencing symptoms such as eye pain, dryness, photophobia, itching, blurred vision, etc. due to improper use; refractive errors, cataracts, dry eyes, glaucoma, conjunctivitis, diabetic retinopathy, etc. are common eye diseases, and topical medication is the main means of treating eye diseases. The most commonly used medication is eye drops.

These eye drops brighten our eyes and make this "window to the soul" look brand new. We are often troubled by small troubles. Do you really know how to use the small medicine bottle in your hand? Come, let's decode the code hidden in the small medicine bottle!

Eye drops FAQ

A. How long does it take for eye drops to become unusable after opening? Can they be placed in the freezer?

Eye drops are liquid sterile preparations. Once the bottle cap is opened, they come into contact with air and are prone to physical and chemical changes, which can weaken the effectiveness of the eye drops and even produce harmful substances due to the decomposition of drug ingredients.

The following are recommended use dates:

Single bottle eye drops

A single tube of eye drops should be opened for one day and discarded after 24 hours.

Bottled eye drops

Bottled eye drops usually contain preservatives and should not be used again after four weeks.

Refrigerated eye drops

Use within 1 week after opening.

Tips for storing eye drops

Do not rinse or wipe the eye drop bottle, otherwise it will contaminate the liquid. Keep the bottle cap tightly closed for storage.

The storage environment of opened eye drops should be kept in a cool, dry, ventilated and dark place.

Some eye drops need to be refrigerated, but be sure not to freeze them.

B. How to use eye drops correctly? Can two or more eye drops be used directly?

first step

Check the label and expiration date of the eye drops, and whether the solution is clear or needs to be shaken;

Step 2

Before applying the medicine, wash your hands with soap and dry them, clean your eyes locally, and wipe the secretions from the corners of your eyes with a sterilized cotton swab. (Seven-step hand washing method - "inside, outside, pinch, bow, big, stand, wrist")

Step 3

After opening the eye drop bottle cap, turn the cap upwards to avoid contamination; when applying the drops, just pull the lower eyelid, keep the bottle mouth of the medicine bottle a distance from the eyelashes, and drop the medicine into the depression of the pulled lower eyelid. Be careful not to drop the medicine directly on the black eyeball to avoid discomfort on the cornea.

Step 4

After applying the eye drops, you can also press the corner of the eye near the root of the nose for 3-5 minutes. This can reduce the amount of medicine flowing into the nasal cavity. Or after applying the eye drops, gently pull the upper and lower eyelids with your hands and close your eyes to rest for a few minutes.

When using eye ointment, squeeze about 1 cm of eye ointment into the lower eye bag (be careful not to let the tube mouth touch the eyeball or eyelid), close your eyes, and gently massage for 2 to 3 minutes to increase the efficacy. Blink several times to try to distribute the eye ointment evenly, then close your eyes and rest for 2 minutes. Use a thin tissue to wipe off the excess eye ointment outside the eye.

Principles of conventional eye drops

Generally, you should use eye drops that are absorbed quickly during the day. Eye gels and eye ointments are absorbed slowly and are usually used 30 minutes before going to bed at night.

When using two or more eye drops at the same time, apply the less irritating eye drops first, followed by the more irritating eye drops. The interval between using the two eye drops should be more than 5 to 10 minutes to allow the previous eye drops to be fully absorbed before applying the second one.

Friendly reminder

Eye drops are for personal use only, please do not share with others!

C. Will using too much eye drops cause damage to the eyes?

Too much eye drops can cause certain damage to the eyes. Most eye drops contain preservatives. Long-term use will cause abnormal dryness of the eyes, conjunctival congestion and edema, and more likely to induce conjunctivitis or dry eyes. Excessive use of eye drops will cause unnecessary damage to conjunctival cells. If hormone eye drops are used for a long time, it will lead to decreased vision, and it is also more likely to induce hormone-induced glaucoma, cataracts, and aggravate keratitis.

The more eye drops you use, the better. For example, for acute congestive glaucoma, you need to use drops every ten minutes to quickly reduce intraocular pressure, and for chronic glaucoma, you need to use drops once or twice a day. Therefore, you must strictly follow the doctor's instructions or the drug instructions when using eye drops, and don't use them randomly.

D. I often suffer from itchy eyes, dry eyes, and eye fatigue. I have been prescribed levofloxacin, tobramycin and dexamethasone eye drops, but there is no improvement. What is going on?

Various factors such as excessive use of eyes, staying up late, and long-term stressful living environment can cause itchy eyes, dry eyes, and eye fatigue.

Then, there are mainly two types of eye fatigue:

1. It is very important to pay attention to rest and avoid excessive fatigue and stress.

2. Use eye drops, mainly artificial tears, including sodium hyaluronate, methylcellulose, and chondroitin sulfate eye drops.

If dry eyes are caused by long-term visual fatigue, you can choose artificial tears eye drops, such as polyvinyl alcohol, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium hyaluronate, etc. If it is caused by accommodative spasm fatigue caused by looking at close objects for a long time, you can choose esculin digoxin eye drops, or you can choose eye drops that can relax the ciliary muscles, such as tropicamide. If the problem is accompanied by local infection and inflammation, you can also consider using antibiotic eye drops, such as levofloxacin eye drops.

Note : Itchy and red eyes

Hormone and antibiotic eye drops should not be used randomly; hormone eye drops are very good at reducing inflammation and relieving itching, but they must not be used casually by yourself, let alone for a long time, because hormone eye drops have side effects such as inducing glaucoma, causing cataracts, and aggravating keratitis.

Don't use chloramphenicol as a preventive medicine. Abuse of chloramphenicol may cause leukopenia and even aplastic anemia.

Chloramphenicol eye drops should be used with caution in people who are allergic to chloramphenicol, those with congenital glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, those with poor liver function and renal damage, the elderly, pregnant and lactating women, and infants.

Therefore, if medication does not provide relief, you need to find the root cause and seek medical attention promptly!

E. Are eye drops useful for myopia?

Usually, it is useful : Ciliary muscle paralytic drugs are usually useful for myopia, such as atropine eye drops, compound tropicamide eye drops, etc., which help slow the growth of myopia and usually relieve eye fatigue by relaxing the ciliary muscle, helping to prevent the occurrence of myopia.

Useless : Most eye drops are usually useless for myopia, such as digitalis eye drops, compound dextran eye drops, etc. They can usually only relieve eye fatigue and reduce damage to the eyes, but myopia cannot be treated by eye drops.

Kind tips

There are many types of eye drops, each with its own uses. Improper use can often cause more damage, so be sure to use them properly under the advice and guidance of a doctor.

At the same time, we must take care of our eyes, pay attention to the rest of our eyes, reduce the burden on our eyes, and relieve their fatigue and discomfort.

References

[1] Cheng Kuei-Ju,HsiehChien-Ming,NepaliKunal et al. Ocular Disease Therapeutics: Design and Delivery of Drugs for Diseases of the Eye.[J] .J Med Chem, 2020, 63: 10533-10593.

[2] Jin Enzhong, Zhao Mingwei. Unmet needs and prospects for drug treatment of ophthalmic diseases[J]. Journal of Clinical Drug Therapy, 2022, 20(09): 1-5.

[3] Li Guangyao,WangNingli,Zhang Yu et al. Recommendations for Off-Label Drug Use in Ophthalmology in China: A Clinical Practice Guideline.[J] .Front Pharmacol, 2022, 13: 919688.

Author: The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University

Written by Xie Xianze

Wang Jianping reviewed the policy