How to give your child eye drops - Video podcast

Watch this video podcast to find out the best way to give your child eye drops.
    

Eye drops are often prescribed after your child has had an operation or has an eye infection.

1. Wash your hands.

2. Shake the bottle, remove the top, and throw away the plastic seal.

3. Get your child into position by tilting his head back or laying him flat on his back. You may need some help to hold your child in position. Younger children or babies are best wrapped in a blanket or sheet to keep their arms and legs still.

4. Gently pull down your child’s lower eye lid.

5. Avoid touching the eye, eye lid, or eye lashes, and put one drop inside the eye with the dropper.

6. Let go of the lower eye lid and ask your child to blink a few times to spread the eye drops over the eye.

7. Wipe any excess away from the eye with a tissue.

8. Put the top back on the bottle.

9. If you have to give another type of eye drop, wait a few minutes before putting it in.

Ask your pharmacist about storing the eye drops, some need to be kept in the fridge but others only need to be kept out of direct sunlight. Read the instructions on the label carefully and only put the drops in the affected eye. Do not use the drops for longer than stated on the label because they can become dirty and infected quickly.

If you are giving your child drops for a certain number of days, write the date that you opened the bottle on the label as a reminder.

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

Ref: F060437 © GOSH Trust September 2006
Compiled by the Pharmacy department in collaboration with the Child and Family Information Group.