How to put eye drops in someone else’s eyes

Wash your hands, have the person lie down or sit with their head tilted back, and gently pull the lower eyelid down to make a small pocket. Hold the bottle above the eye, resting your hand on their forehead to steady it, and let one drop fall into the pocket without the tip touching anything. Have them close their eyes gently, and wipe away any extra with a clean tissue.

Before you start

• Check the label: make sure it’s their own bottle and the right product.
• Look at the liquid. For Quell, the label says Product appears as a milky brown solution. The label also says If this product changes color.
• Check the date on the carton or bottle.
• Wash your hands with soap and water, and dry them on a clean towel.
• Have a clean tissue ready.
• Explain what you’re about to do, especially for someone who startles easily.

How to put eye drops in someone else’s eyes, step by step

• Position them. Lying flat on a bed or couch is easiest. If they’re sitting, have them tilt their head back against a headrest or the back of a chair.
• Stand or sit beside them, slightly above, rather than coming at them head-on; a bottle approaching from the front makes people blink.
• Ask them to look up, toward the ceiling or their forehead.
• With one hand, gently pull the lower eyelid down with a fingertip on the cheekbone, making a small pocket.
• Rest the edge of your other hand, holding the bottle, on their forehead. This keeps the bottle steady if they move.
• Hold the tip a short distance above the pocket, without touching the eye, lashes or lid. Squeeze gently for one drop.
• Release the lid and ask them to close their eyes gently, without squeezing them shut, for a moment.
• Dab any overflow from the cheek with a clean tissue, a separate one for each eye.
• Cap the bottle right away and wash your hands again.

Quell’s label gives the directions as Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. That’s one drop per eye each time, not one per eye per day.

Keeping the tip clean

The label is direct about this: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination. When you’re putting drops into someone else’s eye, it’s easy to touch the lashes by accident, especially if they flinch. That’s the main reason to steady your hand on their forehead. If the tip does touch an eyelid, lash or anything else, don’t wipe it on a tissue or your clothes; cap it and ask a pharmacist whether to keep using that bottle. Why you should never touch the bottle tip explains what’s at stake.

A bottle of eye drops is for one person. If you also use drops yourself, keep your bottles separate and labeled.

If they blink or flinch

• Have them look up and keep looking up; it’s harder to blink while looking upward.
• Count down out loud so it isn’t a surprise.
• Try having them close their eyes and lie back; place the drop at the inner corner of the closed eye, then ask them to open and blink so it runs in.
• Take a break if it’s getting stressful; trying again in a few minutes usually goes better.

Helping an aging parent

Older adults often need help because of shaky hands, stiff shoulders or arthritis that makes squeezing a bottle hard. Some can do part of it themselves: pulling the lid down while you hold the bottle, for example. Letting them do what they can keeps the routine theirs.

For someone with memory problems, a calm, consistent routine helps: the same chair, the same time of day, the same words. Write the times down, or keep a simple log, so drops aren’t doubled or missed; keeping a simple eye drop log has a format. Eye drops for older adults covers what else to check.

Helping a partner

Partners often help when one person is squeamish about drops, or after a busy day when hands aren’t steady. The same steps apply. Some couples find it easier when the person receiving the drop lies back on the couch, and the helper sits on the arm above them.

What the label doesn’t cover

• Children. Quell’s label doesn’t give directions for children, so ask a pediatrician or pharmacist before using it for a child.
• Contact lenses. The label doesn’t address them; ask the person’s eye doctor.
• Other eye drops. If they use prescription or other drops, the label doesn’t cover combining them; ask their eye doctor or pharmacist about order and timing.

When to stop and call a doctor

Watch how the person responds over the following days, since they may not mention discomfort. The label says: 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. Also follow its caution: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only. If swallowed, the label says: If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center immediately. When you’re unsure, the Drug Facts page has the full panel to show a doctor or pharmacist.