My vision is only 0.1! I can’t use this kind of eye drops!

Review expert: Peng Guoqiu, deputy chief physician of the Fourth Medical Center of the General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

“My eyes are dry and itchy”

"Put some eye drops in it"

"Which kind? Can I still use it after opening it for a long time?"

"They are all the same. Any one of them is fine. They are still valid and can be used."

STOP!

Eye drops are not to be used casually.

If you use eye drops incorrectly

Not only can it not relieve eye discomfort

There is a risk of blindness!

Using "expired" eye drops, vision dropped to 0.1

Recently, Ms. Zhao felt dry eyes due to working in front of the computer for a long time, so she took out a bottle of eye drops that had a shelf life of nearly a year. After putting a few drops, she felt the dryness symptoms were relieved.

However, unexpectedly, the next day, the symptoms of dry eyes not only did not ease, but the eyes began to become red, swollen and tearful, the secretions increased significantly, and vision became blurry. Upon examination, Ms. Zhao's cornea was red, swollen and severely inflamed, and her vision was only 0.1.

After checking the eye drops, the doctor found that they were leftovers from her eye drops opened six months ago. Eventually, she was diagnosed with bacterial keratitis caused by using expired eye drops.

This is not an isolated case. In June 2023, Mr. Liu went to the doctor in time to remove iron filings from his eyes. He went home and used eye drops that had been opened for half a year. Soon, he developed symptoms such as swelling and blurred vision in his left eye. After examination, he was diagnosed with corneal ulcer and his vision was only 0.03.

Shelf life ≠ usage period

Many people may wonder when seeing this news: "Isn't it within the expiration date? It's not near the expiration date, so how can it cause such a big impact?" Here, we need to make it clear that

Shelf life ≠ usage period

The shelf life on the outer packaging of eye drops usually refers to the date of use when the eye drops are kept away from light and unopened. Once opened, the shelf life of eye drops is generally 4 weeks, and it is not recommended to use them after 4 weeks.

Because the medicine may be contaminated when the package is opened and used repeatedly, continued use may cause secondary infection, such as conjunctivitis or even keratitis. If not treated in time, it may also cause corneal ulcers, decreased vision, and even blindness.

In addition, some eye drops are suspensions, and it is not recommended to judge whether the eye drops are expired by color, floccules, etc. The eye drops should be stored according to the instructions. For example, eye drops containing levofloxacin need to be protected from light, and eye drops containing chloramphenicol need to be refrigerated at 2-8°C.

All eye drops are the same, can you use any of them?

Among eye drops, levofloxacin is probably the most frequently used one. Many people choose levofloxacin when they feel eye discomfort. So, can we really use it casually? No! Of course not! There are many types of eye drops.

Anti-infective eye drops

There are many types of eye drops in clinical practice, among which anti-infective eye drops are a very important category. Levofloxacin, which we often talk about, is a representative drug among them. This type of eye drops is suitable for infectious inflammation of the eyelids, lacrimal ducts, conjunctiva, cornea and other parts.

Anti-eye fatigue medicine

If we just have simple eye fatigue, we can choose eye drops specifically for relieving visual fatigue. The common ingredients in this type of eye drops are usually sodium hyaluronate (sodium hyaluronate), various vitamins A, B, E, taurine, borneol, mint, etc. The use of anti-fatigue eye drops can achieve the purpose of lubricating the eyeball, relieving dry eyes, and reducing red bloodshot.

Artificial tears

Common ingredients of artificial tears are sodium hyaluronate (sodium hyaluronate), chondroitin sulfate, methylcellulose, polyethylene glycol, etc. Some also add oil-like ingredients to simulate tear ingredients. Specially used for dry eyes, dry eyes, and dry eye syndrome, patients with severe dry eyes need long-term and high-frequency use. It is best to use disposable artificial tears without preservatives. In addition to these, eye drops are also divided into many different types such as specific disease types and hormone types. Although the types are different, the use of them according to doctor's orders is the same!

Proper use of eye drops

Eye drops should not be used frequently for a long time. Any type of eye drops should be used according to the prescribed frequency and treatment time, and can be discontinued after the effect is achieved. Especially for hormone eye drops , excessive use is prone to adverse reactions, which may induce glaucoma, cataracts, and even secondary serious eye infections, including corneal fungal infections.

Secondly, follow the doctor's advice and do not mix multiple eye drops. If you need to use multiple eye drops, avoid dropping them into the eyes at the same time and pay attention to the order of use. In addition, it is wrong to think that dropping a lot of eye drops at one time will work quickly . The volume and storage of the conjunctival sac itself are limited. In fact, 1 to 2 drops each time is enough.

In addition, eye drops are not dripped onto the eyeball, but onto the conjunctival sac. The eye drops are suspended 2 to 3 cm from the conjunctival sac and one drop is enough. After dripping, press the inner corner of the eye with the middle finger for 2 to 3 minutes to prevent the eye drops from entering the mouth through the nasolacrimal duct. Then close your eyes and gently rotate your eyeballs, and rest for 5 to 10 minutes.