Eye Care Products

Wash your hands first, then tilt your head back and gently pull your lower eyelid down to form a small pocket. Hold the bottle just above your eye without letting the tip touch your eye or eyelashes, then release one drop into the pocket. Close your eye gently and press a fingertip against the inner corner, near your nose, for around a minute to help stop the drop draining away too quickly.

Eye drops can drain from the corner of your eye into your nose through a small channel called the nasolacrimal duct, which connects to the back of your throat. Some of the liquid trickles down this way and can be tasted, particularly if you blink a lot straight after applying a drop. This is harmless and very common. Pressing gently on the inner corner of your eye for a minute after applying a drop can help reduce how much reaches your throat.

It depends on the eye drop. Hay fever eye drops containing a preservative called benzalkonium chloride can be absorbed by soft lenses and cause discolouration, so lenses should be removed before use and left out for at least 15 minutes afterwards. Most dry eye lubricating drops shouldn't be used at all while wearing soft contact lenses. Always check the patient information leaflet for your specific eye drops before use.

Eye drops are a liquid treatment applied directly to the eye to relieve a specific symptom or condition. Lubricating drops, such as Hypromellose, coat the surface of the eye to relieve dryness, itching and soreness. Anti-allergy drops work differently, calming the eye's reaction to an irritant like pollen or dust to relieve itching, redness and watering. Which type is right for you depends on what's causing your symptoms.

Sodium Cromoglicate eye drops belong to a group of medicines called mast cell stabilisers. Rather than treating symptoms after they start, like antihistamines do, they work by stopping the eye's mast cells from releasing histamine in the first place, which prevents the itching, redness, watering and swelling triggered by pollen, dust mites or pet hair. It usually takes 2 to 3 days of regular use to feel the full effect, so they work best when started as soon as symptoms begin.

Most eye drops are designed to be used within 4 weeks of first opening the bottle, even if there's still liquid left inside. This is because the preservative that keeps multidose eye drops sterile becomes less effective once the seal is broken, and using drops beyond this point increases the risk of eye infection. It's worth writing the date you opened a bottle on the label as a reminder, and checking the patient information leaflet for the exact guidance on your specific eye drops.

Lubricating eye drops for dry eyes can generally be used daily, following the dosing on the label, for as long as symptoms like grittiness or soreness continue. Hay fever eye drops are also designed for regular use throughout your exposure to the trigger, up to the maximum stated dose. That said, if you find you need eye drops constantly, or symptoms don't improve after a couple of weeks, it's worth checking with a pharmacist or GP, as this can sometimes point to an underlying issue that needs a different treatment.

A brief stinging or burning sensation straight after using eye drops is common and usually settles within a few seconds. It's often caused by the drop's preservative, its temperature, or a slight difference in pH compared with your natural tears, rather than anything being wrong. If the stinging is severe, doesn't ease quickly, or is followed by redness, swelling or blurred vision, stop using the drops and speak to a pharmacist or GP, as this could be a sign of an allergy or infection.

Saline solution made for rinsing or storing contact lenses isn't a substitute for eye drops. It doesn't contain the lubricating ingredients found in dry eye drops, or the anti-allergy action of hay fever eye drops, so it won't relieve dryness or allergy symptoms in the same way. Contact lens saline can also carry a higher risk of contamination once opened for use directly in the eye, as it isn't formulated or preserved for that purpose in the way eye drops are.