Help! Pink eye...putting Medicine in Eye!

I'm not sure what will work for your son. However, I can tell you the only way that works for ME... because I'm never able to let anyone else get close to my eyes without their automatically shutting tightly. I lean back in a chair so that I'm looking at the ceiling. I shut my eyes, and I put a drop of medicine in that convenient little place between my eyelid and my nose. Then, still facing the ceiling, I open my eyes, and the medicine goes right in.

As for the staying inside, you'll need to call your doctor - or else some savvy mama will tell you here. It's been a long time since pink eye visited our house. But I don't recall ever telling my children they couldn't play except when they were contagious.

2 moms found this helpful

Hi C.

They used to make gentamycin (I think that was the kind of drop) in an ointment form. Worked better for me when my kiddos were young as if the ointment was 'near' the eye, kiddos were sure to rub it in!

Maybe call doc/pharmacy and ask?

Best Luck!
michele/cat

1 mom found this helpful

Putting in the corner of the eye with his eye closed works great! Just drop it in there with his eyes closed and then have him open them. Something that my son really thought felt really good is to put the drops in the refrigerator so that when they go in, they are cool and soothing. The cold feels good on itchy eyes.

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Try to put it in when he is sleeping and/or sit on him (not enough to hurt him just to restraint him). You should keep him home until the infection is gone, pick eye is very contagious and he WILL spread it to other kids in the playground.

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You can have him lie down on his back and close his eyes. Place the drop in the inside corner of his eye then have him open his eye and start to blink and the drop will slide right into his eye. Easy peasy. Don't ever make anythng a struggle...that's no way to get cooperation.

My daughter is 4, so a little older. She had pinkeye last month. Usually it worked where I told her she could have a special treat, watch a cartoon, whatever it was she wanted to do after she got her drops. When she really had a fit the second time I went to put them in, I let her put the saline from my contact lens solution in my eye. We washed our hands before and after putting in the drops, and I made sure she knew not to let the tip touch my eye, or touch the tip with her finger. She only wanted to "saline" me once or twice, and then letting her have a gummy or some other treat worked fine.

Ohhh Boy! Been there!
I had to lie my son on the bed and straddle him and tuck his arms (gently) under my knees. Place your hand on his forehead and use this same hand to open the eye with your thumb while you use dropper w/ other hand. It also helped if I took his favorite stuffed animal and "put" the drops in the animals eyes first(with the cap on). That seemed to make my son want to sit still for a second or two when he saw how brave his turtle was. You have to work fast. It will get easier as the days go on. In the beginning, the drops are uncomfortable while the eye is still irritated.Once it starts to clear up, the drops aren't as bothersome to the eye.
Good luck!

Can you bribe him? Put on a video or some music to distract him? He shouldn't go to the playground, but not because of the weather. If it is bacterial pink eye it is VERY contagious. He should stay home until he's been on the drops at least 24 hours. You should also wash your hands carefully and don't touch your eyes.

What I have done in the past (when my husband cannot help) is sit on top of him, pinning his arms, legs and torso with my body (not putting much of my body weight on him, of course!). Then I somehow managed to pry his eye open with my pointer and thumb and administered the drops with my other hand. It's a lot easier though, when my husband can hold his head still! Not fun and not easy. However, we got the job done!

Lay him across your lap and put one of your legs over his chest. Make sure you include the arms. Then, put his head under one of your elbows and put the drops in.

There is no reason he needs to be kept inside. Just make sure you and he both wash hands, as pink eye is very contagious.

For my kids and my husband, I have them lay on the couch and place the bottle on the bridge of their nose. They cannot see it to be afraid. Then the drop goes in the corner and spreads out. Sounds just like others have recommended. I would be sure to treat both eyes because you get done with one and then have the other. If he is feeling okay after using the drops for a day or 2, then I would go ahead and let him play. And make sure you use them for the full 5 days or whatever even though the redness may be gone.

Be sure to aim for the corner of the eye by his nose. I have done the gently sit on them to put it in. I've also bribed them....whatever works.

I also wouldn't go to the playground as pink eye is very contagious. You only need to keep him away for 24 hours after first dose but be prepared for it to spread in his other eye as it usually does.

My son got pinkeye in both eyes by rubbing them both....

We wrapped him in a blanket to restrain him. (That was a task in & of itself). I did tell him that i knew he was scared, and that it would be over fast. I also promised he could watch his fav. cartoon for 15 minutes afterward. Bribery is sometimes not a bad thing.

Once he was restrained, I held his head still and dropped one drop into the corner of each eye.

He shouldn't have to be restricted in his outdoor activities, unless otherwise noted by his pediatrician.

The most effective way is to put the drops in the corner of his eyes and then cheer your son on to "flutter" his eyes. I say "flutter, flutter, flutter" and my kids will do it since it sounds so much fun. The medicine will get to where it needs to be and do its job. I have 3 kids and it works like a charm everytime! I even use this method on me. Hope this helps! :)

I assume you have the drops by your description. See if you can get your doctor to prescribe the ointment. It's a much better option for little ones.

Mary's trick really works! Just have him lie down on the couch, relax and close his eyes. Put the medicine in the corner of his eyes and just let it seep in. It will! If he's comfortable blinking, that will help, too. Just don't let him rub his eyes right away or he might rub the medicine away.