How to use eye drops for babies?

Parents attach great importance to the health of their babies, because babies are unable to take care of themselves completely. Once a problem occurs in the body, there will be no way to solve it, and parents can only rely on measures to deal with it. For example, if a problem with the baby's eyes is not dealt with in time, it may easily cause a serious infection in the baby's eyes. Therefore, parents are required to handle it for their babies. Let’s take a look at some tips on how to put eye drops in babies’ eyes.

Before the operation, some preparations need to be made: such as keeping sufficient light in the room; trimming nails and washing hands; let the baby lie flat on the bed. If the baby is too small to cooperate, wrap him/her in a sheet or blanket, and another person holds his/her head. Check whether the label of the eye drops is consistent with the doctor's instructions or prescription; check the eye drops. Once opened, they can be used for a maximum of 4 weeks. If the eye drops change color, become turbid or exceed the expiration date, they should be discarded immediately. If it is a suspension, shake it well before dropping.

During the specific operation, first ensure that the eyes are clean. If there is a lot of secretions, you should use a sterile cotton swab to wipe it clean with the baby's eyes closed. One cotton swab can only wipe one eye and throw it away in time after wiping to avoid cross infection.

Then use the thumb and index finger of your left hand to gently separate the upper and lower eyelids of one of the child's eyes. You can also use your thumb to gently pull down the lower eyelid to expose the conjunctival sac of the lower eyelid. Then use your right hand to drop one drop of eye drops into the eye and gently close the eyelids. Then, place the eye drops into the other eye using the same method. Be careful to keep the eye drops suspended in the air and do not let the bottle mouth touch the eyelashes, otherwise the eye drops may be contaminated.

After applying the drops, let your baby close his eyes for 2-3 minutes to allow the eye drops to fully contact the eye tissue. If eye drops leak out, wipe them dry with a clean cotton ball or handkerchief. There should be at least 5 minutes interval between using different eye drops. If you are using atropine eye drops for mydriasis and eye examination, be sure to close the eyes for 10 minutes and use a cotton ball to press the lacrimal sac at the inner canthus of the child for 5 minutes to prevent the eye drops from flowing into the nasal cavity or throat through the tear ducts and reduce its systemic absorption. Otherwise, it may cause side effects of atropine.

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