Eye drops before or after a shower?

For most people, after the shower works better. By then your hands and face are clean, soap and shampoo are rinsed away, and there’s no spray to wash the drop straight back out. Dry your face, wait for the steam to clear, wash your hands, then follow the label’s directions. Keep the bottle in a drawer outside a steamy bathroom, since Quell’s label says Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F).

Why after the shower is usually easier

• Your hands are freshly washed, which the label’s caution about the tip makes worth caring about.
• Your face is clean, so there’s no dried sweat, sunscreen or makeup at the lid margin for the drop to mix with.
• Shampoo and soap are gone. A drop put in before the shower can be rinsed out by water running down your forehead.
• You’re not about to rub your eyes with a towel right after the drop goes in.

None of this comes from the label itself, which doesn’t mention showering. It’s just the order that keeps the drop in your eye and your hands clean when you use it.

Eye drops before or after washing your face?

Same answer: after. Face washes, cleansers and makeup removers aren’t meant for the eye, and some sting if they creep in. Wash, rinse thoroughly with plenty of water, pat dry with a clean towel, and give your skin a minute. Then wash your hands one more time if you used them to rub in a cleanser, and put in your drop.

If you put on skin care afterward, such as moisturizer or eye cream, do your eye drop first and the creams after. That keeps lotion off your fingertips when you’re near the eye. Eye drops before or after makeup? covers the rest of a morning routine.

How long after eye drops can I shower?

The label doesn’t set a waiting time. If you’ve already put in a drop and want to shower, give it a few minutes to spread across the eye with normal blinking, then keep your face out of the direct spray when you can and avoid rubbing your eyes with the towel. If a drop gets washed out, that counts as a dose used, not a reason to add extra beyond the label’s directions: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye.

A simple shower-day routine

• Shower, keeping shampoo and soap away from your eyes by tilting your head back when you rinse.
• Pat your face dry with a clean towel; don’t scrub at your eyes.
• Step out of the steam, or wait until the mirror clears.
• Wash and dry your hands.
• Take the bottle from where you store it outside the bathroom, put in your drop, and close the cap right away.
• Put the bottle back before you start styling your hair, since hair dryers and sprays are no friend to an open bottle nearby.

Where to keep eye drops: not in a steamy bathroom

Quell’s storage line reads Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A hot shower can push a small bathroom’s temperature up, and it fills the room with steam. The label doesn’t mention humidity, but a cabinet beside the shower is one of the warmest, wettest spots in a house, and moisture around the cap and tip is not what you want. A bedroom drawer, a nightstand or a kitchen cabinet away from the stove is a steadier home. How to store eye drops has the full list.

What if shampoo gets in my eye?

It happens. Rinse the eye gently with plenty of clean, lukewarm water, keeping it open as well as you can, and blink. Most of the sting fades quickly once the soap is gone. A lubricating drop isn’t a rinse, so use water for this, not your eye drops.

If the eye still hurts, stays irritated, or your vision isn’t clear after rinsing, see an eye doctor. Quell’s label carries the same message for any eye problem that lingers: 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.

Does a hot shower help dry eyes?

Warm, humid air feels good on dry eyes, and plenty of people notice their eyes are most comfortable in the shower. That relief usually fades once you step back into dry indoor air, especially in a heated house in winter. It isn’t a substitute for the things that make the whole day easier: a humidifier in the bedroom, vents pointed away from your face, and full blinks at screens. Does a humidifier help dry eyes? looks at the humidity side.

What the label covers

The label’s Uses read: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. Quell is designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss. The active ingredients are Glycerol (1.0%), Polysorbate 80 (1.0%) and Light Mineral Oil (0.5%). The label doesn’t address contact lenses, so if you wear them, ask your eye doctor how drops fit into your routine around showering and lens insertion. Read everything on the Drug Facts page before you start.