Does pressing on the inner part of your eye while you insert eye drops increase effectiveness of the medication?
NOV 14, 2016
Question:
I read somewhere that when using eye drops (mine are Simbrinza) if, immediately after putting the drops in, you use your finger to block the drainage through the tear ducts by pressing gently on the inner side of the eye for a minute or two (I believe this is called “punctal occlusion”) that it can help make the medicine more effective by holding it longer on the surface of the eye. Is that true?
Answer:
Yes, punctal occlusion helps keep the drop in the eye and prevents the drop from draining out the nasal lacrimal duct into the nose. By keeping the eye drop in the eye longer, the drop has more time to be absorbed where it can be effective. In minimizing absorption into other parts of the body, punctal occlusion can also minimize systemic side effects.