The Importance of Eye Drops in Glaucoma

Featuring Dr. Baseer Khan, MD, FRCS(C), P.CEO, Ophthalmologist

Duration: 2 minutes, 13 seconds

Drops are the first line of treatment of glaucoma. What’s really important with drops is you’ve got to remember that they’re not going to make you see better, they might even make your eye a little red or irritated. The purpose of the drop is to lower the pressure.

Unfortunately, you’re not going to feel that effect. So even when you take or don’t take your drop, it won’t make a difference to you, but it’s really important that you keep your pressure low, because keeping the pressure low is what’s going to prevent your glaucoma from getting worse.

A lot of people can have challenges putting in drops, and what works for one person may not work for the other. I’ve often suggested to patients to lie down on a bed and maybe put it in the corner of their eye if they have trouble keeping their eye open, and they can roll their eye over.

Having someone help you is another way. Talking to your pharmacist, they may have some other ideas on solutions that other patients have found in order to help them take their drops. Whatever solution works for you, great, you just need to find a way to make sure you’re taking your drops on a regular basis and they’re getting in your eye.

Patients worry about whether they’re getting their drops in their eye or not. Often you can feel the drop when it gets in, your eye will feel wet. But here’s the thing: if you think you missed, put another drop in. You can’t overdose on eye drops.

There’s about five different types of classes of drops available that are on the market today that are used to treat glaucoma. Some are used once a day, in the morning, or maybe once a day at night. Some are used twice a day. What’s really important is to make sure that you know how often you’re supposed to use your drops.

If you have a drop that you use in the morning, use it first thing as soon as you get up in the morning. And if you have a drop that’s used twice a day, try to use it as soon as you get up in the morning and about 12 hours later. The most important thing is be consistent with your drops.

If you have any more questions about how to take your drops or more about your drops, please speak to your pharmacist or your optometrist or your ophthalmologist, who can give you more information about the drops that you’re taking.

Presenter: Dr. Baseer Khan, Ophthalmologist, Vaughan, ON

Local Practitioners: Ophthalmologist