How to Give Eye Drops

How to Give Eye Medications

• If your pet has excessive thick mucous coating the surface of their eye, prior to giving eye medications, gently remove discharge from the eyes by flushing with over-the-counter sterile eye wash.
• If you have two people, have one person administer eye medications while the other person holds under the pet’s chin. Note: if you are facing your pet, their right eye will be on your left side.
• If you are on your own, it is helpful to position your pet so they are facing away from you with their rear against your stomach or leg to prevent them from backing away. Note: as your pet has their back to you, their right eye will be on your right side.
• Using your non-dominant hand, gently grasp your pet’s chin and lift it upwards.
• Using your dominant hand, hold the dropper bottle and use 2 of your fingers to gently open your pet’s eye. Be careful not to touch the tip of the bottle to your hand or your pet. Also, be careful not to apply too much pressure on your pet’s eye. However, it is okay to apply gentle pressure to your pet’s brow bone after lifting the upper eyelid up.
• Gently squeeze the bottle so one drop falls onto your pet’s eye. The drop should land on the surface of the eyeball itself, between the upper and lower eyelids. If the drop lands on the eyelid or fur or you aren’t sure, simply administer another drop.
• Ointments should be applied to the underside of the upper or lower eyelid, followed by manual blinking to spread out the ointment across your pet’s eye. A ¼ inch strip is enough! This is about the size of a rice grain.
• Be sure to praise your pet on a good well done and provide a reward if possible (walk, favorite healthy treat, or toy)!
• Most topical medications should be administered as evenly spaced as possible during the awake or home hours. For example, four times a day would be 8 am, 12 pm, 4 pm, and 8 pm if home during the weekend or non-working days. During workdays, it would be before work, after work, dinnertime and bedtime.
• Wash your hands before and after administering medications.
• Don’t forget to wait at least 5 minutes between eye drops and, ideally, 15-30 minutes between eye ointments. Remember to give topical medications from thinnest to thickest. Give gels and ointments last if you are also giving drops. It is often helpful to set a timer between medications.