Helping your eyedrops reach your eye

Putting in your own eye drops

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Step 1
Double check that you are about to place the correct drop in the correct eye.
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Step 2
Wash your hands.
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Step 3
Position yourself in a comfortable position. You can be sitting, lying or standing looking in a mirror. Lying flat on your back looking up to the ceiling is often the easiest technique, but not always the most convenient. Sitting with your head tilted back, neck extended and eyes looking up to the ceiling is good, and with practice drops are easy even when standing and with only your eyes turned upwards.
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Step 4
Shake the bottle, and test how much squeeze gives a single drop.
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Step 5
For all positions, sitting lying or standing the principle is the same. Gently pull your lower eyelid downwards away from the eye. This creates a trough between the eye and the lower eyelid. The tip of the dropper is then positioned so that a drop can be dropped into this space without the tip of the dropper touching your eye or eyelids. When you lie flat look straight up at the ceiling and bring the dropper to be in your line of sight. From this position the drop should land on your eye.
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When sitting the principle is the same but you need to tip your head backwards to orientate the dropper above your eye. A good technique is the targeting technique. Fix your eyes on the tip of the dropper and then bring the dropper toward your eye until the hand holding the dropper stops against the hand pulling your lower lid down. From this point tip your head back to see the ceiling and the dropper should be perfectly orientated to drop the drop onto your eye.
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Standing in front of the mirror is another useful technique that allow you to see the trough created by pulling the lower lid downwards and then guide the tip of the dropper to drop into this trough.
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Step 6
Put the lid back on the bottle and dab any overflow with a clean tissue.