Eye Drops


Eyes are often prepared for surgery and medication is often administered to eyes, using eye drops.  The eye drops may contain anaesthetic or help treat the eyes for disease and eye conditions.  Eye drops enable most of the medicine to stay in the eye compared with oral forms of medication for the treatment of eyes.  However, eye drops can still affect other parts of the body and side effects may be prevalent as with any medication.  Guidelines for use must be strictly adhered to and care must be taken to avoid infection by wrong usage.  Not all eye drops are prescription based, many can be bought over the counter such as artificial tears to treat dry eyes and drops that help clear eyes from redness and tiredness.  Eye drops may be prescribed following eye surgery to prevent infection using antibiotics or reduce or/and prevent inflammation using anti-inflammatory drops or allergy drops to prevent eye allergic reactions. 

Types of Eye Drops

  • Decongestants - These can help eyes become healthier by constricting blood vessels and reducing eye redness.  Excessive use can have an adverse effect.
  • Anti-Allergy - These work to reduce the effects of histamine or block the production of histamine, which is naturally produced by the body in reaction to an irritant.  Anti-allergy eye drops can help alleviate itchy, teary, red eyes. 
  • Anaesthetic - Eyes may be numbed before an eye surgical procedure to eliminate discomfort. 
  • Anti-Inflammatory - These reduce eye inflammation and are usually either corticosteroids or nonsteroidals.  Care must be taken when using these eye drops as miss-use use can cause serious eye conditions. 
  • Antibiotics - These are used to treat or prevent eye infections. 
  • Condition Specific - There are many eye drops, which are designed to be used to treat certain eye diseases and conditions.  For example, drops for glaucoma can help reduce eye pressure by either reducing the amount of fluid in the eye or helping the fluid to drain away.  There are many side effects of glaucoma eye drops but these often outweigh the risk of optic nerve damage, which is symptomatic of glaucoma. 
  • Preservative Free - These eye drops can be used if you have very sensitive eyes.
  • Eye Dilation - In a routine eye test, eye drops may be used to dilate eyes, so that the pupil is larger and the optometrist or ophthalmologist can examine eyes more easily and effectively.  Side effects include blurred vision and light sensitivity.

Guidelines for Using Eye Drops

Hands should be washed with an antibacterial soap.

  • Gently pull down the lower eyelid with two fingers and look upwards towards the ceiling.
  • Place the dropper head near the inside bottom of the lower eye lid and squeeze the bottle or place the drops in the eye.  Ensure that the dropper head does not touch the eye.
  • Close your eyes gently.
  • Using a clean tissue wipe the eyes whilst they are closed to remove any excess liquid.


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