Easy Eye Drop Steps for Kids!
DR. DIANA BALCARRAS BERG, B.SC., O.D.
There are many common reasons why a child may need eye drops - perhaps an infection, allergies or dry eyes. In myopia management, one treatment strategy to slow down nearsightedness progression is using prescription eye drops (called Atropine) that the child uses daily. These drops are specially formulated to help change the child’s focusing mechanism and slow down the progression of myopia.
We get it - some kids are nervous when it comes to eye drops. So, here are some tips to help with inserting eye drops in your child’s eyes to make the experience go smoothly!
A How-To Guide On Using Eye Drops
1. Whoever will be putting in the drops should wash their hands.
2. Have your child move into one of these positions:
Sitting with their head tilted up towards the ceiling
Lying flat looking upwards
Have someone cradle your infant in a safe lying position while controlling their arm movement. Or wrap your infant in a light blanket to keep their arms still.
3. Gently use your finger to pull down your child’s lower eyelid.
If you are cradling your child in a lying position, start with the eye that is closest to your body.
4. Squeeze one drop from the bottle into the lower eyelid. Avoid touching the tip of the bottle to any part of the child’s eye
5. Release the lower eyelid and encourage the child to blink. This will allow the drop to spread across the surface of the eye.
6. Gently dab (not wipe) the eye with a tissue to soak up any excess drops.
7. Repeat with the other eye (if applicable).
If you have 2 different drops to use in each eye for your treatment, make sure you wait at least 10 minutes between drops.
8. Place the cap back on the bottle.
Alternative Method for Apprehensive Children
In some cases, your child may be anxious, crying or will not open their eyes. The following is an alternative method that can be used in these scenarios. It should only be used if other methods are not working and you should ensure the child is calm again before trying this method.
1. Wash your hands
2. The child should lay flat with their eyes closed.
3. Place a drop into the corner of the eye (closest to the nose) while the eyes are closed.
4. Encourage your child to open their eye to allow the drop to enter into the eye. Or gently rub the eyelid to encourage the drop to enter the eye that way.
Practice Through Play!
We hope these strategies help make the process of inserting eye drops go smoothly. If your child is still struggling, consider having them practice putting eye drops into their stuffy’s eyes! Kids often learn and develop comfort through play.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to our clinic for more information or assistance.