Can you use eye drops in your ears?

No. Quell’s label says it is for use in the eyes only, and its directions cover eyes and nothing else. Products for ears are made and labeled for the ear, with their own directions and warnings. If your ears are itchy, dry or uncomfortable, ask a pharmacist or doctor which product is labeled for that, and keep eye drops for your eyes.

What the label says

The warnings line on Quell’s Drug Facts panel reads: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only. That last phrase is not decoration. Over-the-counter labels follow FDA’s Drug Facts format, and the directions and warnings are written for one route, the way the product is meant to reach the body. For Quell, that route is the eye: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye.

Because the label only covers the eye, it says nothing about what happens when the drops are used anywhere else. That silence is the answer. Nobody has given you directions for ears, so there’s no dose, no warning set and no stop-use guidance that applies. Our guide on what “for use in the eyes only” means goes into the phrase more fully.

Why people reach for eye drops for their ears

It’s an understandable impulse. The bottles look alike: small, plastic, with a dropper tip. Eye drops are made for a sensitive part of the body, so it seems logical that they’d suit the ear too. And when an ear itches at night, the eye drops on the nightstand are closer than the drugstore.

But eyes and ears are different parts of the body, and products for each are designed around that. Ear products carry their own directions and warnings, including questions about the eardrum that no eye drop label addresses. Using a product somewhere its label doesn’t cover skips all of those checks.

What to use for ears instead

• Read the label of any ear product before buying. It should say it is for use in the ear.
• Ask a pharmacist. They can listen to what’s bothering you and point you to a product labeled for ears, or tell you to see a doctor first.
• See a doctor for ear pain, drainage, hearing changes, ringing that’s new, or anything after an injury or a blow to the head.
• Don’t put anything into an ear that hurts until someone has looked at it.

Our guide on questions to ask your pharmacist has a list you can take to the counter, and the habit of asking works for ear questions as well as eye ones.

If an eye drop ends up in your ear

This happens more than you’d think, especially when someone puts in drops lying down. A drop overflows the eye, runs along the temple and into the ear. It’s a small amount of liquid, and the fix is simple: tilt your head to let it drain and dab the outer ear with a clean tissue. If your ear hurts afterward or feels blocked for more than a short while, check with a pharmacist or doctor.

To keep it from happening, sit up or lie with your head only slightly tilted, and close your eye gently for a moment after the drop. Our guide on how to know if the eye drop went in explains what overflow looks like.

If drops get in your mouth or are swallowed

A drop that drains through the tear duct can leave a taste at the back of the throat, which is explained in our guide on why you can taste eye drops. Drinking from the bottle, or a child getting hold of it, is a different matter. The label is direct: If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center immediately. Keep the bottle out of children’s reach.

Keeping bottles from getting mixed up

Most mix-ups between eye drops and ear drops happen in a medicine cabinet or a bag where small bottles sit together. A few habits help:

• Store eye drops apart from ear drops, nose sprays and other small bottles, in their own case or shelf.
• Read the label every time, even in the middle of the night. Turn on a light.
• Keep the original carton if it helps you tell bottles apart at a glance.
• Don’t transfer any drops into a different bottle.

Quell is easy to recognize once you know it, because of how it looks: The eye drops have a naturally milky-brown appearance. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with the product. The label’s “Do not use” line reads: If this product changes color. Store it as the label says: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F).

Using Quell the way it’s meant to be used

Quell is a lubricating eye drop designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss. Its Uses line reads: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. Before every drop, follow the handling line: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination. If your eyes don’t improve, the label says when to stop: Stop use and ask a doctor if you feel eye pain or changes in your vision, if irritation or redness continues, or if the condition worsens or persists for 72 hours. The full panel is on our Drug Facts page.