What to do when you run out of eye drops

If you’ve run out of eye drops, order a replacement now and ease your eyes’ load while you wait: avoid vents and fans on your face, and take regular screen breaks. Don’t borrow someone else’s open bottle. Then plan so it doesn’t happen again: learn how long a bottle covers your use, and keep a spare on hand.

Today: order the next bottle

Go to the order page and check out as a guest; no account is needed. Quell ships within the United States from Brentwood, Tennessee. There’s no promised delivery date, so place the order as soon as you notice, not when you’re down to the last drop. If you’re ordering anyway, an order of 3 bottles ships free; smaller orders pay $10.00 for shipping.

While you wait for it to arrive

• Turn vents, fans and car heater outlets away from your face.
• Take short breaks from screens and look into the distance, blinking fully.
• Wear glasses or sunglasses outdoors on windy days.
• Run a humidifier in the room where you spend the most time, if you have one.
• If you need something in the meantime, a pharmacist can talk through options with you, and with the label of any product you’re considering.

Why not to borrow someone’s open bottle

A friend or partner offering their bottle means well, but an opened bottle has been near another person’s eyes and handled by their hands. The label’s instruction, Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination, exists because the tip is the part that can pick things up. Using someone else’s open bottle undoes that care. It’s also a different product, possibly with different directions and cautions; if it isn’t Quell, read its own label, or ask a pharmacist. Quell’s label includes Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only, which matters if you’re switching between products.

Work out how long a bottle covers you

Bottle life depends on how you use it, so the most useful number is your own. Here’s a simple way to find it:

• When you open a new bottle, write the date on the carton or in your phone.
• Use it as the label directs: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye.
• When it runs out, note that date too.
• The gap between the two is how many days a bottle covers for you. Use that to plan your next order.

How long does a bottle of eye drops last? goes into what affects that number. Each bottle is .33 fl oz (10 mL).

Use the reorder reminder

After an order, Quell sends one reorder reminder email. It isn’t a subscription and nothing is charged automatically; it’s a nudge to check your supply. When it arrives, compare it with what’s left in your current bottle. Why did I get a “Running low?” email? explains what it is, and since it comes only once, a calendar reminder of your own, set from the number of days you worked out above, is a good backup.

Keep one spare

A single unopened spare turns running out into a minor event: you open the spare, then order its replacement. Store it as the label says, Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F), somewhere you’ll remember, like a bathroom cabinet away from the shower or a bedroom drawer. Keeping spare bottles of eye drops covers where and how many.

Ordering 3 at a time builds a spare in automatically and gets you free shipping. If you end up with more than you need, 30-day refunds on unopened bottles, no need to send them back, within 30 days of delivery.

Running out while traveling

Away from home, the order still ships to any US address, including a hotel or a family member’s house; shipping to a holiday address covers getting the address right. Because no delivery date is promised, it’s often simpler to carry a spare in your bag when you travel.

If running out was a relief

Sometimes a gap without drops shows that you didn’t need them as much as you thought, and that’s fine. Other times it shows how much you’d been relying on them. If your eyes became very uncomfortable while you were out, mention it to an eye doctor. 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.