How to put eyedrops in your child eyes

Tips to Make Eye Drops Easier for Kids – and Parents - CHOC

Administering eye drops to small children can be difficult for parents and kids alike. Here are a few tips to help

Published: January 27, 2015
Last updated: September 26, 2022

Link: https://health.choc.org/tips-make-eye-drops-easier-kids-parents/

Administering eye drops to small children can be difficult for parents and kids alike – and rest assured, it isn’t always easy for doctors, either.

“It’s daunting at times for parents and physicians,” says CHOC ophthalmologist Dr. Sidney Weiss.

Eye drops may be prescribed for a variety of conditions including infections, allergies and dry eyes, pupil dilation in advance of an ophthalmologist appointment, and medical diagnosis therapies, he says.

And because eye drop administration can be challenging, Dr. Weiss has a few tips to help smooth this process.

Working with a partner

With the help of a parent, older children can receive eye drops while seated or standing, with their head tilted back so that their eyes create a horizontal plane, Dr. Weiss says. After age 10, children can try with supervision to administer the drops themselves.

However, giving drops to infants and children up to age 3, as well as some older children with developmental delays, can be especially challenging and often requires restraining the child. In these cases, parents should try to find a partner to help.

Try laying the child on the floor, in a chair or in someone’s lap. While one person holds the child’s arms and legs still, the other can administer the drops. Dr. Weiss recommends asking the child to open his eyes and look back as far as possible, as if he were trying to see the back of his head.

While gently holding the child’s upper eyelid open, lightly pinch together the bottom eyelid to create a small pouch. Squeeze the drops into the pouch and ask the child to keep the eye closed for 30 seconds.

The drop administrator should also put a finger over the closed eyelid near the inner corner to prevent absorption of the medicine into the tear duct, which can be harmful.

Going solo

Should a parent need to restrain the child to administer drops and another person isn’t available to help, Dr. Weiss suggests this method:

While sitting on the floor, the parent should lay the child in his or her lap, with the child’s head at the parent’s abdomen facing the ceiling and the child’s legs extending along the parent’s legs. Place the child’s arms under the parent’s legs. The parent can also wrap one leg around the child’s legs to keep him or her still.

Administer the drops using the method described above.

Working around closed eyes

Sometimes, even with another grownup to help, kids just won’t open their eyes, Dr. Weiss says.

In these cases, take advantage of closed eyes with this technique: Have the child lie down with their eyes closed. Place the drops in the inner corner of their eyes to create a little pool of medicine. Once the child opens his or her lids, the drops will dribble into their eye, Dr. Weiss says.

“This may waste some medicine, but any port in a storm,” he says, adding that this method can also work while the child sleeps.

General eye drop tips

Besides positioning, parents can try a few other techniques to make administering eye drops easier and safer, Dr. Weiss suggests:

Before administering, parents should take a minute to double check that they are using the correct drops.
Gather all necessary materials (drops, tissues, wash cloths, etc.) and wash hands before and after administering eye drops to a child.
To avoid contamination, don’t touch the tip of the bottle to any surface, including the eye, eyelid or eye lashes. Use alcohol to sanitize the tip if there’s any chance of contact.
Try to appear as relaxed as possible. Babies and children can tell if their parent or caregiver is distraught and will respond accordingly.
Try to create a calm, soothing environment and explain to older children what you’re doing and why.

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How to give your child eye drops

This page from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) explains how to give your child eye drops.

What to do

Wash your hands.
Get your child into any of these positions with the ear you are treating facing upwards.

Tilt your child’s head back
Lay your child flat on their
Ask someone to hold your child in a safe position as above
Wrap your baby or young child in a light blanket or sheet to keep their arms still

Shake the bottle.
Remove the top of the bottle and throw away the plastic seal.
Gently pull your child’s lower eyelid.

Note: Avoid touching the dropper against your child’s eye, eyelashes or any other surface.

Hold the dropper above your child’s eye and squeeze one drop into the lower eyelid avoiding the corner of their eye.
Release the lower eyelid and let your child blink a few times to make sure the drop is spread around the eye.
Put the top back on the bottle and wipe away any excess eye drop with a clean tissue.

Note: If you are using another type of eye drop, wait a few minutes before you give it. This will stop the first drop being washed away by the second before it has had time to work.

If your child is getting very distressed

This is an alternative way of giving your child eye drops but it does not work as well as the other method. You should use this method if it is the only way your child will have the eye drops.

Wash your hands.
Shake the bottle.
Remove the top of the bottle.
Tilt your child’s head back or lay them flat on their back with their eyes closed.
Place the drop onto the side of the closed eye nearest the nose.
Either let your child’s eye open or gently rub the eyelid so the drop with bathe the eye.

Storing the eye drops safely

Keep all medicines out of the reach and sight of children.
Ask your pharmacist about storing the medicine. 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 and only use the drops or spray in the affected eye(s). If you are given different drops for each eye, make sure you use the correct one for each.
Always check the expiry date of the medicine before you give it to your child.
Eye drops should be used within four weeks of opening or as instructed on the label. If you are giving your child eye drops for a certain number of days, write the date you open the bottle on the label so you know when to throw it away.
Some eye drops are packaged as single doses (minims) rather than in a bottle. Twist the top off the minim to give the dose then dispose of the container in your household rubbish. Do not keep it for the next dose.

Compiled by:

the Pharmacy department in collaboration with the Child and Family Information Group

Last review date:

April 2020

Ref:

2020F0774

How to properly instill children's eyes

When to prescribe children's eye drops?

Burying ophthalmic droplets for small children can be important as for fathers, so for children, and, be careful, don’t be easy to induce for doctors. “Someone who loves fathers and doctors,” ophthalmologists seem to be childish. Burying children of ophthalmic streaks is one of the most drastic and unacceptable zavdans like fathers, so that children never die in bed with fathers, as if they were old. nine0006

Eye drops may be indicated in a variety of conditions, including infections (eg, conjunctivitis), allergies, and dry eyes, widening of the eyes, as well as for treatment of medical diagnoses and in depression, if the child is wearing contact lenses.

And the shards of digging eye drops can be foldable, and a sprig of joy, as they will help to smooth out the process and create it correctly.

Working with a partner

For the help of one father, children of an older age can drip eye drops in a sitting or standing position with their heads thrown up, so that the ribbing of their eyes has established a horizontal plane. After 10 years, children can try to work independently under observation. nine0006

However, instillation of the eyes of infants and children up to 3 years of age, as well as children of an older age with zatrimki, the development can be especially foldable and often necessary to add additionally to the child, especially to repair the opir. In these ways, the father is guilty of trying to find a partner.

Try to put the baby on a bed, an armchair, or on the number of knees. At that hour, one person trims the arms and legs of a child in an unbreakable position, another can bury the drops. Deyakі likarі recommend asking the child to vodkriti eyes and zakotity їkh yaknaydali, like nibi vin namagaєtsya pobachiti politsu. nine0006

Gently trim the top of the child, squeeze the bottom of the bottom to create a small little bag. Drip the faces and simply close them, so that the child carefully closes the eyes of the trimal and close them for 30 seconds to replace the one that blinks quickly or flattens the eyes, the one that can bring the face to waste.

Lyudina, as she is involved, is also guilty of putting her finger on the closed pouch on the inside, in order to prevent the drug from being ingested into the mucus canal, even if it can be harmful. nine0006

Optional solo

It’s like the fathers need to drop the child in the eyes of the face, and another person cannot help, suggest the offensive method:

nig dad. Lay your child's hands under your feet. Batko can also help the child’s legs with one foot, so that he becomes unruly.

Pratsiuёmo with closing eyes

Sometimes, to help others grow up, children simply do not open their eyes.

In these vicarious moments, use the following technique: close the child's eyes. It is necessary to place drops near the inner fold of the eye, to create a small pool with faces. Like only a child, the drops fall into the eye.

You can bring before spending a lot of money, but it is infinitely more beautiful, nothing. In the same rank, you can bury the eyes of a sleeping child.

To increase the introduction of ophthalmic drops more light and safe:

Leather, unacceptable for a child, a little dad is a kind of sloppiness. Forgive me for a small one, for example, promise to buy an ice box on a stick.
In front of the victorious fathers, add a note of guilt, so that the two will twist it, and win the stench of a vial with the right streaks.
As the faces were saved in the refrigerator, bud until it reaches room temperature. nine0050
Take all the necessary materials (drops, servets, etc.) and keep your hands up until the day you drop in the child's eyedrops.
To avoid confusion, do not allow the tip of the vial to be touched to any surface, including eyes, eyes, or both. Whisk alcohol for the disinfection of the tip, as a result of contact.
Wipe off excess faces with a clean cloth.
Try to look as relaxed as possible. The children and children can not remember that their fathers or guardians were ruined, and as it happens, the stench will react appropriately. nine0050
Try to create a calm, calm situation and explain to the children of the older age what you are doing and why.

How to put drops in the eyes of a child correctly: Instructions, advice to parents SINCE 2013, ROOT REFRACTIVE THERAPY IS INCLUDED IN THE LIST OF MANDATORY RECOMMENDATIONS AS THE MOST SAFE WAY TO BRAKING THE MYOPIC PROCESS. nine0073

Contents

Indications for the use of eye drops in children
Preparation for instillation of drops
Precautions
Most probable mistakes when instilling
Algorithm for instillation of eye drops
What if the medicine does not get into the eye?
Helpful Hints
Useful video

Infectious and inflammatory eye diseases are treated using eye drops prescribed by an ophthalmologist. And often such drugs are prescribed to children. The effectiveness of treatment largely depends on the correct implementation of the procedure, so parents must know and follow the algorithm for instilling drops in a child.

Indications for the use of eye drops in children

Any medicine for the eyes is selected by an ophthalmologist after tests and diagnostics. For children, instillation of drops is most often prescribed for infectious conjunctivitis. This is an inflammatory disease that occurs as a result of pathogenic microorganisms entering the membranes of the eye. nine0006

In newborns, such a pathology as dacryocystitis is often detected - a congenital narrowing of the lacrimal canal. Accompanied by the appearance of purulent discharge. Dacryocystitis is initially treated conservatively - with drops and massage. With the ineffectiveness of such therapy, a surgical expansion of the canal is performed.

In school-age children, eye drops are often prescribed to treat myopia. Wearers of lenses and glasses may occasionally need to instill moisturizers to reduce discomfort and dryness of the membranes. nine0006

The pathologies listed above are considered the most basic indications for the use of eye drops. But in children, less common eye diseases are often detected, which also require the use of topical drugs.

Professional advice on the diagnosis of eye diseases and their treatment can be obtained at the Elit Plus Clinic. The ophthalmological center is equipped with the most modern equipment that allows you to quickly and without discomfort make the correct diagnosis for children of any age, starting from the neonatal period. nine0006

Preparing the child for drops

Young children are afraid of any procedure unfamiliar to them, so whims, tantrums and fear are not uncommon during the introduction of drops. To minimize such manifestations, it is necessary to act clearly and quickly, which also helps with proper preparation for manipulation.

During the instillation of medicinal fluids you will need:

Cotton pads;
Medicine. If the drug is stored in the refrigerator, then it should be heated in warm water or hands; nine0050
Eye wash solutions - Furacilin, chamomile decoction or plain warm boiled water;
Waste bag;
Pipette. Useful if there is no dropper on the medicine bottle.

For newborn babies and young children, it is better to prepare a clean diaper on which they will lie during the procedure.

Compliance with precautions

The absence of adverse reactions in the treatment of drops and the effectiveness of therapy largely depend on compliance with a number of recommendations:

Before the procedure, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap or gel and dry them with a towel. It is better to use paper or lint-free, after which there are no lint left on the fingers that can get into the eyes;
Do not touch the eye with the tip of the pipette during instillation. Otherwise, there is a high probability of microbes getting into the solution, which can lead to re-infection during the subsequent procedure;
Each medicine has its own pipette. It is impossible to instill several children with one pipette, even if they are members of the same family. After manipulation, the pipette is washed in hot water, dried and stored in an individual case; nine0050
When prescribing several types of medicines, it is imperative to observe the interval between their administration, if this is indicated in the instructions or the doctor has prescribed just such a scheme of instillation;
If the child wears contact lenses, they are removed before instillation. However, there are several types of drugs that can be dripped over contact lenses;
Drops should not be instilled if the baby cries, resists and breaks out. This behavior increases the risk of injury. The child must be calmed down; for small children, the procedure can be carried out in the form of a game. In most cases, parents manage to explain the importance of treatment to preschoolers and schoolchildren; nine0050
Medicines should be bought only with a good expiration date. It must also be remembered that eye drops after opening in most cases are used for no more than a month. In a long-open vial, part of the medicinal components evaporates and there is no longer any benefit from their use.

You should not buy generic drugs, even if they are advised by the pharmacy. Ophthalmologists in each case select an individual course of therapy, depending on the age, individual characteristics of the child, the condition of the eye membranes. And usually the doctor immediately writes those medicines that are needed, and substitutes that can be purchased if the originals are not available. nine0006

The most likely mistakes when instilling

During the period of treatment with drops, you should try to avoid the most common mistakes that can adversely affect the results of therapy. Such errors include:

Self-administration of the drug;
Simultaneous instillation of drugs that enhance or vice versa reduce the therapeutic effect of each other. Before the course of treatment, it is imperative to carefully study the instructions and ask the doctor about the possibility of sharing different types of drops; nine0050
Instillation to a child during crying or active resistance. In the first case, the medicine will flow out along with the lacrimal fluid. In the second, injury to the mucous membranes is possible;
Instillation directly onto the cornea. The solution should be tried to enter into the conjunctival sac. If it is dripped closer to the inner corner of the eye, then most of it enters through the lacrimal canal into the nose;
Failure to comply with the duration of the prescribed course and the frequency of administration of the drug. The therapy regimen should not be interrupted, even if all symptoms have disappeared. This is especially true for antibiotics, since the complete destruction of bacteria occurs only with a sufficient concentration of the antibacterial substance in the eye membranes. The duration of therapy should not be extended either, since excessive accumulation of medicinal substances leads to adverse reactions; nine0050
Dosage failure. The number of drops prescribed by the doctor should not be done more. It sometimes seems to parents that a significant part of the medicine flows out of the eye after manipulation, and they intentionally inject a larger volume. But you need to know that if the entire instillation algorithm is observed, the right amount of liquid enters the eye, even if it flows out a little;
Non-compliance with the storage conditions of the medication. Some drops should be stored in the refrigerator, others should be protected from low temperatures and exposure to direct sunlight. In order not to be mistaken with the storage of the drug, you need to read the instructions for use after purchase. nine0050

After a course of therapy, it is imperative to visit the doctor again. During the control examination, the ophthalmologist evaluates the results of therapy, if necessary, prescribes additional medications and vitamins that have a positive effect on the eyes.

Algorithm for the instillation of eye drops

After preparing all the necessary means for manipulation and the drops themselves, you can start instillation. The instillation technique is not particularly difficult:

The child should be placed on a flat, horizontal surface. If the child is already over 6-7 years old, then you can ask him to throw his head back, but keep in mind that he will have to remain in this position for several more minutes after the manipulation;
If there is purulent discharge, remove it with Furacilin or chamomile decoction. Each eye is washed with a new cotton pad. Do not wet discs in a container with washing liquid, it is better to pour it on top of the disc, so you can avoid getting bacteria into the solution; nine0050
After rinsing, instillation can be carried out after 5-10 minutes;
Open the bottle with drops, take the medicine into the pipette, if there is no dropper dispenser;
With the fingers of the left hand, pull back the lower eyelid and instill the required number of drops into the conjunctival sac in the middle. It must be remembered that it is impossible to touch the membranes of the eye with hands and a pipette or dispenser;
Hold eyelid open for 1-2 seconds. This is necessary so that the solution is distributed over all shells; nine0050
Lower the eyelid, blot the remaining liquid with a cotton pad;
Close vial, store drug.

After the procedure, you need to hold the child in a lying position for 5-7 minutes, which will enhance the therapeutic effect of the medicine. No need to be scared if the solution has flowed into the baby's ear. You just need to immediately blot it with a napkin or disk - eye medicines do not have a negative effect on the ears.

What if the medicine does not get into the eye? nine0004

Sometimes during the procedure, the child closes his eyes, and the medicinal solution does not enter the eye at all. In this case, the manipulation must be repeated, that is, drip the required number of drops.

But if at least a little of the agent got into the conjunctival sac, then repeated instillation should not be carried out. The amount of solution that has fallen is enough to wash the tissues. But next time you should try to carry out the instillation as correctly as possible.

Helpful tips for parents

Drops in the eyes Children need to drop less frequently than when using tablets or syrups. Therefore, not many parents have enough experience to carry out the procedure quickly and without discomfort for the baby. If the child is very small, then it is better to carry out instillation together. For example, dad can distract the baby with a bright toy, holding it over his face, while mom drips medicine at this time.

Older children need to learn how to negotiate. If the instillation is carried out through tears and whims, then the therapy will be of little use. The procedure can be carried out in the form of a game. But you can not intimidate the baby, as this can lead to psychological problems. nine0006

You should also listen to the advice of experienced ophthalmologists:

During treatment, you need to reduce eye strain, that is, minimize watching cartoons, playing games on tablets and computers. After instillation of drops, watching TV and reading is prohibited for 30 minutes;
Care should be taken to ensure that children do not rub their eyes with their hands, especially immediately after instillation;
When treating infectious conjunctivitis, the child should be provided with an individual face towel and changed at least once a day. Be sure to change pillowcases daily, and linen should be ironed after washing; nine0050
Do not press hard on the eyes while rinsing and wiping them. In children, the skin is very delicate and excessive pressure can lead to a violation of its integrity.

Experienced pediatric ophthalmologists work at the Elite Plus center, able to explain in detail all the nuances of instilling drops to newborns, young children and schoolchildren. After the diagnosis, the doctor himself can demonstrate to the parents the algorithm for instilling the prescribed drops.

If any questions or disturbing changes arise during treatment with drops, parents can always contact their doctor and get detailed advice.