How do I know if the eye drop went in?

You’ll usually know an eye drop went in because you feel a brief cool, wet sensation on the eye and your vision blurs for a moment as it spreads. If the drop ran down your cheek or landed on your lid or lashes, it missed. Using a mirror, resting your hand on your face and aiming for the pocket of the lower lid make it easier to tell, and to get it right the first time.

Signs the eye drop went in

• A cool or wet feeling on the surface of the eye, not just on the skin.
• A moment of blurry vision as the drop spreads, which clears after a few blinks.
• An urge to blink or close the eye.
• With a milky drop like Quell, a brief milky haze in that eye.
• Sometimes, a taste at the back of the throat a little later, because tears drain from the eye into the nose and throat.

You don’t need to feel all of these. A drop that lands in the pocket of the lower lid can be surprisingly quiet. Why can I taste eye drops? explains the throat sensation, and Is it normal for vision to blur after eye drops? covers the blur.

Signs the drop missed

• You feel it run down your cheek or the side of your nose.
• It lands on your eyelid, brow or lashes and you feel it on the skin.
• You blinked as it fell, and you see it on the outside of your lid.
• Nothing at all: no cool feeling, no blur, no wet sensation on the eye.

What to do if the eye drop missed

Quell’s label directions read: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. Those directions count drops that go into the eye. If you clearly saw or felt the drop land on your cheek or lid, it didn’t go in, and it’s reasonable to try once more, carefully. What the label doesn’t support is adding extra drops on top of one that may have gone in, just to be sure.

• If you’re sure it missed, wipe your cheek, reset, and try once more.
• If you’re not sure, don’t add another; wait until your next scheduled drop.
• If you keep missing, change your technique before trying again (see below).
• If the tip touched your eye, lid or face during the attempt, note it. The label says: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.

If you often find yourself needing more than the label’s directions, that’s worth mentioning to an eye doctor or pharmacist. Can I use more than three drops a day? covers the label limit.

How to put eye drops in so you know they landed

• Wash your hands and sit down or lean back somewhere comfortable.
• Tilt your head back and look up at the ceiling.
• With one finger, gently pull your lower lid down to make a small pocket.
• Rest the hand holding the bottle on your forehead or cheek so it stays steady.
• Hold the tip above the pocket, close but not touching, and squeeze gently for one drop.
• Let go of the lid, and close your eye gently for a moment.
• Wipe away any excess on the skin with a clean tissue.

Aiming for the lower-lid pocket rather than the center of the eye helps in two ways: you’re less likely to blink, and a drop that lands there clearly went in. How to use eye drops as directed walks through the same steps in more detail.

Mirror tips

A mirror helps many people see whether the drop landed. Put a small mirror flat on a table or counter, lean over it and look down into it. The bottle comes from above, out of your direct line of sight, which makes you less likely to blink at it. You can see the pocket of your lower lid in the reflection and watch the drop fall into it.

Alternatively, lie down on your back. Gravity holds the drop on the eye’s surface, your hand rests naturally on your face, and a missed drop is easy to feel as it runs toward your ear.

Does a cool bottle make it easier to feel?

Some people find a slightly cool drop easier to feel landing. Don’t put Quell in the refrigerator to get that effect, though: the label’s storage line reads Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F), so keep it at a cool room temperature within that range. Should eye drops be refrigerated? covers why the label’s range matters.

If you blink every time

Blinking as a drop approaches is a reflex, and nearly everyone does it at first. A few tricks help: look up and away from the bottle, keep both eyes open rather than squinting the other one, breathe out as you squeeze, and practice with the bottle closed until the motion feels routine. If hand tremor or arthritis makes it hard, a pharmacist can suggest aids designed to hold the bottle steady. Eye drops for older adults includes more tips for steadying your hands.

Checking the bottle itself

If you’re never sure whether a drop came out, look at the bottle. Hold it upside down over a sink and squeeze gently once to see how much pressure a single drop needs. The eye drops have a naturally milky-brown appearance. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with the product. If the liquid looks different from usual, check the label: If this product changes color. The full panel is on the Drug Facts page.

When to ask for help

If drops consistently sting, make your eyes worse, or you have pain or vision changes, stop and call a doctor. The label’s stop-use line reads: 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 pharmacist can also watch you put in a drop and suggest changes to your technique.