Eye drops

[npkb]

Hi

As one of the joys of RA and aging I suffer from very dry irritable eyes. Blepharitis I'm told!

My petite hands are very deformed with pathetic squeezing strength.

Does anyone out there have any solution to working eye drop Dispensers? To squeeze and drop with one hand while holding eyelid open is near impossible. Most goes down the sink. Hubby tries to help but he can't seem to aim sraight (men. .!)

Optometrist gaveme hycosan drops in trendy pump dispenser - looked good but impossible to Operate!

All suggestions welcome, thank you 😉

[popsmith1874]

hi i get terrible dry eyes as well and was giving viscotears eye drops which have made a big difference and i dont think there is an easy way to do it as i have terrible problems with my hands as well ,this RA can be really annoying sometimes and can test your patience to the hilt

[npkb in reply to popsmith1874]

Hi - and thanks for the reply. I have been using viscotears - and other carbomer gels in a soft tube and don't get on too badly, but yesterday the Optometrist - who couldn't have been a day over 12yrs old - said to use them only once in morning and once at night - which is no longer enough for me, so I have probably been overdoing it. hence the hycosan to use as well. My husband did manage to get drops actually in my eyes😉 this morning - but still not ideal as need them 3-4times a day . . yet something else I can't do for myself, ho-hum😐

[Jenharri]

I have Blepharitis I use Carbomer Gel a soft tube & And the Hyco san extra yes you press from the bottom. If I put my thumm on the ring piece round the top I then press with index finger and the one next to it stabilising the bottle. I have very painful stiff hands too. Yes I am petite with a child's hand.

Those I have with me at night. My eyes are so stuck I can't open them unless I run that in first.

Understand your plight.

Jen

[helixhelix]

I use hycosan, and this is how I do it. Lie on your bed, rest the dropper on the bridge of your nose (eg base of dropper on your forehead above your right eye, with nozzle pointing to corner of left eye). Then one hand holds bottle steady and other pushes base of the hycosan bottle. Voila! Drops in eye....

[npkb in reply to helixhelix]

Simple!! Can you juggle eggs with your feet at the same time?!

Seriously, thanks - I'll give it a try tonight.

There must be someone out there who can design something easy to use for those of us - and there are many - with hand problems. . .

[Hidden]

Hello. I'v been putting eye drops in my eyes every day for the last 15 years due to allergies. The best way to do it is lean your head back and place the nozzel close to the narrow opening of your eye, by your nose. You do not have to put the drops in the widest part of the eye. Let the drops enter the side of your eyes and it will move itself to coat your eyes.

When I first discovered this technique, I didn't even have to have my eyes wide open, just opened a little bit.

I can now put drops in my eyes while driving, though I wouldn't recommend it lol.

All the best to you

Sue

[Ali_H]

Hi,

I have drops for the day and gel for night time... eyelids are porous so sometimes I put a small film of gel on my eyelids in the morning when I know that I'm not going anywhere (as vision gets a bit blurry). To keep my blepheritis at bay my opthalmologist advised washing closed eyes in warm water with some bicarbonate of soda and a few drops of teatree oil in it. Gently wipe from ridge of nose out to the outer edges of the eye. I do this each morning and at night if it starts to get worse.

All the best

Ali

[npkb in reply to Ali_H]

Thank you - and everyone else who has replied - I will try putting some bicarb in the warm water I already bathe my eyes in - also tea tree oil - I hadn't heard of that one!

That's what's so great about this site - there's always someone else with the same problem and more often than not a solution!

[Sheila_G]

Hi. I also have permanent blepharitis. I take Thealoz drops, prescribed by optician and although I miss my eyes more often that not, it is a quite wide and soft bottle so easier to squeeze. The only drawback is that I cant get them on prescription and they are £14 a bottle but they last 8 weeks.

[npkb in reply to Sheila_G]

Thank You! I don't mind having to pay if I find something that actually works! Perhaps companies should provide pharmacies etc with empty "tester" containers/droppers/dispensers so we could try before we buy!

[Sheila_G in reply to npkb]

That is seriously a great idea! You should write to the pharmaceutical companies suggesting it. On a slightly different note I tried for ages to get mayonnaise out of a squeezy bottle the other day. It was ridiculously hard to do.

[carol555]

Hi, if you struggle as I do with the bottles ask your dr to give you single use - so much better and no chance of contamination either. I use Celluvisc - which is camellose sodium during the day and use about 7 a day. At night carbomer gel which is very soothing and my eyes have improved greatly. Hope this helps and wish you all the best x

[npkb in reply to carol555]

Always worth a try - though sounds like it won't be cheap for a GP like mine with an eye on the budget!

[oldtimer]

I use the lacrilube stuff morning and night but I've stopped using the hypromellose that I was prescribed as it mostly seemed to run down my face. I'm using Actimist spray, which is sprayed onto the eyelid and finds it way into the eye from there. It stings a bit at first but soon that wears off. The disadvantage is the cost as it doesn't seem to be available except over the counter.

I also wash my eyelids with baby shampoo which has helped a lot with the crusting I used to get.