How to make eye drops work better

To get more out of eye drops, get the technique right and follow the label exactly. Wash your hands, tilt your head back, pull down the lower lid, let one drop fall into the pocket, then close your eye gently without squeezing. Wipe off any excess. Then reduce what’s drying your eyes in the first place: screens, vents, wind and heated air.

Why eye drops sometimes seem not to work

When a drop seems to do nothing, the most common reason is that most of it never stayed on the eye. It hit the lashes, ran down the cheek, or was blinked straight out. Other reasons include using a drop at the wrong moment (right before stepping into a gusty parking lot), expecting a drop to undo the effect of eight hours under a vent, or using a drop for a symptom that isn’t dryness at all.

Technique is the part you control completely, so start there.

Step by step: putting in a drop so it stays

• Wash and dry your hands.
• Check the bottle. Read the label’s “Do not use” line, which reads: If this product changes color.
• Tilt your head back, or lie down if that’s easier. Look up toward the ceiling.
• With a clean finger, pull your lower eyelid gently down to make a small pocket.
• Hold the bottle above the eye, close but not touching. The label says: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.
• Squeeze once to release one drop into the pocket.
• Let go of the lid and close your eye gently. Don’t blink hard or squeeze your eyes shut, which pushes the drop out.
• Keep the eye closed for a minute or so.
• Dab away any excess from the skin with a clean tissue.
• Repeat for the other eye if the directions call for both.

Our guide on how to use eye drops as directed has more detail on each step, including tips if your hands shake.

How to make eye drops more effective

Following the label is the main thing. Quell’s directions read: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. The label doesn’t suggest more drops per dose or more doses per day, and putting in two drops at once mostly means more runs down your cheek. The eye’s surface only holds a small amount of liquid at a time.

Timing helps too. If your eyes feel driest during a specific part of the day, such as the afternoon at a screen or the evening in a heated living room, spread your doses so one falls before that stretch rather than all at once in the morning, staying within the label’s directions.

How to make eye drops work faster

People often search for this, but Quell’s label makes no promise about how quickly it works, and we don’t either. What you can do is make sure the drop lands where it should and stays put. Closing your eye gently for a minute afterward, rather than blinking rapidly or opening wide to check, gives the drop a chance to spread across the surface. A drop can feel cool or briefly blur vision as it spreads; give it a moment before reading or driving.

Habits that help a drop do its job

A lubricating drop works against the things that dry your eyes. If those things keep going full blast, any drop has more to keep up with. Quell is designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss, and the habits below reduce the moisture loss to begin with:

• Blink fully and on purpose during screen work, and look away every twenty minutes or so.
• Aim car and desk vents at your body, not your face.
• Run a humidifier in a heated bedroom or office.
• Wear wraparound sunglasses in wind.
• Keep a space heater or fan from blowing across your eyes.

Screens and your tear film explains why blinking matters so much.

Mistakes that work against a drop

• Touching the tip to your eye, lashes or fingers. That risks contaminating the bottle.
• Rubbing your eyes right after a drop.
• Using a bottle that’s been stored outside its range. The storage line reads: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F).
• Sharing a bottle with someone else.
• Using more than the directions call for, hoping for a bigger effect.

What the label doesn’t cover

Quell’s label gives directions for using it on its own. It doesn’t give directions for contact lens wearers, for children, or for timing with other eye drops. If any of those apply to you, ask your eye doctor or pharmacist. Before the first use, also check the caution line: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only.

When a drop isn’t the answer

If you’re using drops exactly as directed and still feel worse, that’s information worth acting on. 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. Our list of eye symptoms that need a doctor covers signs that shouldn’t wait. The full label is on the Drug Facts page.