Can you use eye drops while pregnant?

Quell’s label doesn’t address pregnancy or breastfeeding: its Drug Facts panel has no line about either. That silence isn’t a yes. Before using any drug while pregnant or nursing, an over-the-counter eye drop included, ask your obstetrician, midwife or pharmacist, and bring the ingredient list so they can see exactly what’s in the bottle.

What Quell’s label says, and doesn’t

The Drug Facts panel on the carton covers these points, and pregnancy isn’t among them:

• Uses: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye.
• Warnings: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only.
• Do not use: If this product changes color.
• When using: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.
• Stop use and ask a doctor: when the signs listed later in this guide appear.
• Keep out of reach of children: If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center immediately.

Nothing in that list speaks to pregnancy or nursing, one way or the other. You can read the whole panel on the Drug Facts page.

The pregnancy line on other medicine labels

Many over-the-counter medicines carry the sentence “If pregnant or breast-feeding, ask a health professional before use.” That comes from a federal rule, 21 CFR 201.63, which requires it on over-the-counter drugs intended for systemic absorption, meaning drugs meant to work through the bloodstream. Quell’s panel doesn’t carry it.

Don’t read the missing sentence as an all-clear. The rule decides which labels must print the warning; it doesn’t tell you how a particular product fits your pregnancy, your other medicines or your health history. Your own clinician is the person who can weigh that, and asking them first is the right move whatever a label says.

Are eye drops okay to use while breastfeeding?

The label is silent on breastfeeding too, so the answer is the same: ask before you start. A pediatrician can weigh in from the baby’s side, and a pharmacist can look at the ingredients alongside anything else you’re taking. If you were using Quell before your baby arrived, mention that, so the question gets answered rather than assumed.

What to bring to your doctor or pharmacist

A clear ingredient list makes the conversation quicker. Quell’s active ingredients are Glycerol (1.0%), Polysorbate 80 (1.0%) and Light Mineral Oil (0.5%). Its inactive ingredients are Caprylyl Glycol, Dead Sea Salt (Sodium Chloride), Emu Oil, Glyceryl Laurate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Manuka Honey, Polaxamer 188, Sterile Water, Terminalia Chubula and Tromethamine. Questions worth asking:

• Is it all right for me to use this eye drop during my pregnancy, or while nursing?
• Does any ingredient matter with the other medicines and vitamins I take?
• I have (or don’t have) an egg or bird allergy. Does the emu oil caution apply to me?
• Is there anything about my eyes you’d like to check before I use any drop?
• If my eyes change during the pregnancy, who should I call first?

A printed copy of the Drug Facts page, or the carton itself, saves reading ingredient names aloud. Questions to ask a pharmacist about eye drops has more you can add.

The egg and bird caution

Separately from pregnancy, Quell’s label cautions people with egg or bird allergies, because the formula contains emu oil. If you’ve ever reacted to eggs or birds, say so when you ask about the drops. Egg or bird allergy? Read this before Quell explains the caution.

Comfort steps that don’t involve a drug

While you’re waiting to ask, or if your clinician would rather you hold off on drops, a few changes to your surroundings can take the edge off dry air. None of them involve a medicine:

• Point heating and cooling vents, car vents and fans away from your face.
• Run a clean humidifier in the bedroom when the air is dry.
• Take breaks from screens and blink fully a few times when you do.
• Wear sunglasses outside on windy days.

Eye changes to mention right away

Tell your obstetrician or midwife about any change in your vision during pregnancy, such as blurring, spots or flashes, rather than waiting for the next scheduled visit. For the eyes themselves, an eye doctor is the person to sort out what’s going on. And if you do use Quell, its label lists 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.

If your clinician says yes

Follow the label’s directions: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. Quell ships from Brentwood, Tennessee, to US addresses, with guest checkout for buyers 18 or older, and shipping is $10.00 or free on orders of $89.00 or more.