Eyedrops are a common medicine that many people use daily. Whether they’re used to help treat a disease, allergies, infection, or for dryness, eyedrops can greatly improve our eyes’ functionality. However, there are ways that eyedrops can negatively affect you — and they’re because of your application habits.

Time Management – Did you know that the eye can only hold one drop at a time? Applying multiple drops at one time will result in them trickling down your face. If you need to take a few drops in a specific time range, apply one at a time in an even increment.

A Cocktail of Drops – Many people will take prescription eyedrops for certain conditions and then non-prescription drops for other reasons. There’s no need to take each one right then and there in a cocktail of eyedrops. Instead, take your prescription, wait a half hour, and then take your other drops.

Proper Dosages – Keeping track of how often you use your eyedrops is important, especially if it’s prescription medicine. Having a log of each one you use and at which time is very important. If you happen to forget if you took your drops or not, doctors usually recommend adding another drop. It’s better to have one more than one less.

Doctor Visits – If you take your eyedrops every day at noon then continue to do so even if you have a doctor appointment. Only skip application if the doctor directs you to do so. The doctor needs to see if the drops that you’re using are working; so continue taking them.

Double Check – Before taking your daily eyedrops make sure that you’re taking the right ones. You don’t want to pick up a bottle of ear drops or an expired prescription. Misusing drops or taking the wrong one can do more harm than good so be sure to always double check the bottles.

Eyedrops can greatly improve our health and vision, but bad habits can worsen them. Luckily, at The Arbors Assisted Living, we have medication management available for all of the residents in the community. Interested in seeing more of the community at The Arbors? Learn more, or schedule a tour, by contacting one of our five convenient locations:

Bohemia
Hauppauge
Islandia East
Islandia West
Westbury