Eye drops for an office first aid kit

An office first aid kit can include lubricating eye drops, but only as sealed, single-person bottles that each employee keeps once opened, never as one shared bottle. Drops like Quell are for dryness and irritation, not for flushing chemicals or debris out of an eye; that’s the job of eyewash, which OSHA requires near corrosive materials. Store the spare bottles at room temperature and check the label’s cautions before handing one out.

Are there eye drops in a first aid kit?

Often not. A typical workplace kit is built around cuts, burns and sprains: bandages, gauze, antiseptic wipes, gloves, cold packs, maybe a small bottle of sterile eyewash. Lubricating drops are a comfort item rather than a first aid one, so they’re usually added by whoever manages the office supplies after people start asking for them, especially once the heat comes on in winter.

OSHA’s first aid rule for general industry, 29 CFR 1910.151, says that where there’s no infirmary, clinic or hospital close by, someone must be trained to give first aid and “adequate first aid supplies” must be readily available. The rule doesn’t list specific items, so whether drops belong in your kit is a decision for your employer, not a legal requirement either way.

First aid eye wash solution vs. lubricating drops

These two products sit near each other on a pharmacy shelf and do completely different jobs.

• Eyewash is a large volume of sterile solution meant to flush something out of the eye: dust, a splash of cleaner, a speck of debris. You pour it, often a lot of it.
• A lubricating drop is a single drop placed in the eye to ease dryness or irritation. Quell’s label lists its Uses as For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye.
• Section (c) of the same OSHA rule says that where eyes may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing must be provided in the work area. A bottle of lubricating drops is never a substitute for that.

If someone gets a chemical in their eye, flush first and get medical help. If someone has something stuck in the eye, or the eye is injured, don’t put drops in it; get them to a doctor.

Why one shared bottle doesn’t work

A multi-dose bottle is meant for one person. Quell’s label instruction is Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination, and in practice tips do brush lashes and lids, especially when people put drops in at a desk in a hurry. Once a tip has touched one person’s eye area, passing it to a coworker spreads whatever was on it. Quell is preservative-free, so keeping each tip clean and each bottle with one person matters all the more.

The fix is simple: stock sealed bottles, and when someone needs drops, they take a whole bottle and keep it. Ask them to write their name on the carton. The why you should never touch the bottle tip guide explains the contamination problem in more detail.

How many bottles to buy for an office

There’s no formula, but a few questions get you close:

• How many people have asked? Start with that number plus one or two.
• Is it winter? Heated offices and screen-heavy work bring more requests.
• Are you buying for a satellite office or a warehouse break room too? Each location needs its own supply.

Each Quell bottle holds .33 fl oz (10 mL). Shipping is $10.00 per order, and an order of 3 or more bottles ships free, so a single larger order usually costs less to ship than several small ones. There are no promo codes or subscriptions, and one optional reminder email may arrive later when it might be time to reorder. How many bottles of eye drops should I order? covers household quantities.

Ordering for the office

• Use guest checkout; no business account is needed. The buyer must be 18 or older.
• Put the company name on the address line meant for the suite or unit, next to the suite number, so the box reaches the right desk.
• Use an email address you check, since the order confirmation and shipping updates go there.
• Quell ships only within the US, from Brentwood, Tennessee, and no delivery date is promised.

If you’re shipping to the office for the first time, can I ship eye drops to my work address covers mailrooms and front desks.

Storing eye drops at the office

The label says Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). Most offices sit comfortably in that range, but a few spots don’t:

• A sunny windowsill in summer.
• The shelf above the coffee maker or next to a microwave.
• A supply closet that shares a wall with a server room.
• A loading dock or unheated storage room in winter.
• A company vehicle’s glovebox.

A closed drawer or cabinet in a regular room is the easy answer. Keep the bottles in their cartons so the Drug Facts stay with them, and don’t keep using a bottle if it looks different from how it arrived. The label says If this product changes color.

Before you hand a bottle to a coworker

Quell carries a caution that matters in a workplace where you don’t know everyone’s history: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only. The formula contains emu oil. Point anyone who takes a bottle to the Drug Facts so they can check for themselves. The label also doesn’t cover contact lenses or use with other eye drops; anyone in that situation should ask their eye doctor or pharmacist first.

And the stop-use line is worth repeating to the person who asked: 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. A coworker whose eye is painful, injured or suddenly not seeing clearly needs a doctor, not a drop from the supply cabinet.

If the office doesn’t use them

Unopened bottles can be refunded within 30 days of delivery without being sent back. Opened bottles can’t be refunded. If an order arrives damaged, wrong or with a broken seal, it’s replaced; call 615.465.6041 during M–F 9AM–5PM CST.