How To Give Children Eye Drops

Eye drops are frequently prescribed for children with infections, allergies and other conditions that affect the eyes. It is important to carefully follow directions when administering eye drops to children to make sure the problem is sufficiently treated. Not all children react well when medication is dropped into the eye, but there are steps you can take to make the process easier and get the job done.

Things You'll Need

• Eye drops
• Wet washcloth or cotton ball
• Tissue

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Instructions

• 1

  Wash your hands well and gather the eye drops, a tissue and a wet washcloth or cotton ball.

• 2

  Explain to the child what you are going to do, if he is old enough to understand.

• 3

  Wipe any drainage or crusted matter from the child's eye. This may be necessary if the child has an eye infection. Use a wet washcloth or cotton ball to gently wipe the eye from the inside corner to the outside corner.

• 4

  Get the child to lie down on his back. If he is cooperative enough, have him tilt his head back. Place a pillow under the shoulders of a younger child to get the head in the right position, according to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

• 5

  Gently hold an uncooperative child to keep him still. If possible, have someone help you hold the child still. If you are alone, sit down and gently position your child so that he is on his back with his head between your thighs and his arms under your legs, as recommended by the Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. If necessary, lightly wrap your legs over his legs to hold them still.

• 6

  Pull the lower eyelid down to form a pocket, and squeeze the proper number of drops into it. Wait one minute between drops if recommended by your child's doctor. Do not drop the medicine directly onto the eyeball.

• 7

  Tell your child to close his eyes for a minute or two if he is old enough to understand and cooperate, and gently press the inner corner of the eye for 30 seconds to keep the drops from draining down the nose and throat (which causes a bad taste in the mouth).

• 8

  Wipe any excess medication off of the skin, and allow your child to get up.