How Careful to Be with Preservative Free Drops?

[jenbooks]

I had some dry eye--gritty at night, dry in day, especially discomfort with space heater, and researched a lot, being chemically sensitive I didn't even bother to try the commercial eyedrops, but had my integrative MD rx castor oil drops from Leiters. This morning i tried one drop in my left eye. It didn't bother me at all and my left eye definitely feels a bit better than my untreated right eye. However, I think I got the dropper tip brush against an eyelash. I had read a lot about contamination and it usually occurs around the plastic screw top, because people are careless holding them, or else from the dropper tip brushing an eyelash or touching skin.

I see it requires being very careful! I thought i held it above my eye, but I guess not quite enough.

It stays refrigerated but I just wondered how others felt about this worry.

[Guest]

I think I got the dropper tip brush against an eyelash. I had read a lot about contamination and it usually occurs around the plastic screw top, because people are careless holding them, or else from the dropper tip brushing an eyelash or touching skin.

I see it requires being very careful! I thought i held it above my eye, but I guess not quite enough.

It stays refrigerated but I just wondered how others felt about this worry.

Hi Jen,

You can't be too careful. a) if the dropper tip touched your lashes, it is now potentially contaminated with bacteria which, once you put the cap on, has now contaminated the cap - the more time that goes by after that, the more bacteria there will be since they will multiply b) if, after the dropper tip touched your lashes, a drop came partially out, but then went back into the container, it's possible that it took some of the bacteria into the bottle with it, thereby contaminating the entire bottle of drops... again, the more time that goes by, the more bacteria there will likely be

Refrigeration slows down bacterial growth, so the bacteria cannot multiply as fast, but still, it's not ideal for ANY bacteria to be in there since there is the potential for there to end being a high enough amount of bacteria that it will overcome your body's resistance to infection... you'd end up with an eye infection.

So, whether or not you continue to use that bottle of drops now depends on whether or not you are comfortable with the increased risk of getting an eye infection if the dropper bottle grows a little bacteria colony.

IF you are confident that no bacteria could have been pulled back into the dropper bottle, you could swab the dropper tip with an alcohol swab, then fill up the dropper cap with 70% rubbing alcohol (then pour out and let dry)... once the tip and cap are dry, put the lid back on and forget about it. The rubbing alcohol should kill any bacteria that got onto the dropper tip and/or cap. However, be sure to let it dry in an area that is draft-free to minimize the likelihood of airborne bacteria drifting over and landing on the dropper tip and/or cap while it is drying, which would then put you right back where you started. (and note that I said minimize the risk of new bacterial contamination, and not eliminate... there is still a risk)

Again, whether you do this or not is all dependent on your tolerance for risk in regards to the potential of getting an eye infection (ie. since you may be wrong and there could be bacteria inside the bottle which is now multiplying in your eyedrop solution)

Lastly, if you do the alcohol swab thing, don't touch the part of the swab that will be used to wipe the dropper and/or cap to anything - you don't want to be rubbing bacteria from your fingers or the counter getting onto the dropper tip via the swab. I know, the alcohol is supposed to kill all that, but you may as well keep the number of bacteria that the alcohol has to kill to minimum in case you screw up somehow.

Hope that helps...

When this has happened to me with my serum drops, I just toss the whole bottle in the garbage - the dropper tip tends to be gooey after a while and would be tough to clean, even with rubbing alcohol. If this happened with my naltrexone drops, IF I was 100% sure that a partial drop couldn't have gone back into the bottle pulling bacteria along with it, I'd probably swab the dropper tip with rubbing alcohol, let dry, cap, then go on using it after that. That particular eyedrop doesn't tend to get a gooey dropper tip like with my serum, so would be easier to clean. But if I thought it was possible that a drop would have gone back into the bottle and taken bacteria with it, I would toss the bottle... that's more risk than I want to take on since an eye infection might set me back a lot for all I know.

Anyhow, again, knowing all of the above about contamination, it all depends on your tolerance for risk in that regard.

[jenbooks]

Thank you for the good advice. I have learned in a few days how to be careful but at first I didn't understand. Now I held it high this morning and let a few drops fall, one on my skin so I moved the bottle slightly until a drop fell in my eye.

When I touched my lash, I went and poured rubbing alcohol on the dropper tip--not wiping it, but squeezing rubbing alcohol on it. I think I will buy some everclear though. If you look at research on rubbing alcohol, it isn't nearly as good...

Maybe I will order another bottle as I don't want to worry--after a few days it could get worse, it's in the fridge now. How long do these bottles keep anyway? I spent $50 because I ordered overnight. I may ask my doctor to Rx with refills in case I do this again. There *is* boric acid in this eyedrop so that may be inhibiting bacteria somewhat. From all my research, eyedrops will remain sterile if not opened, but human error being what it is, stuff gets on the bottle cap or the dropper touches the lash etc. I do like the drops.

[Guest]

How long do these bottles keep anyway?

I assume you mean how long you ought to keep using a bottle before starting a new one, for the purposes of minimizing your risk of using a contaminated bottle? If so, you'll find varying answers... the only one that is pretty much 100% safe is to use it once then toss it in the garbage.

Dr. Rosenthal in Boston was fine with using preservative-free naltrexone bottles for as long as a month - however, he recommended that I swab the dropper tip with an alcohol swab and let dry before AND after each time I used it, plus, he asked that I keep it in the fridge to slow bacterial growth if I unknowingly contaminated it anyways.

As an extra precaution, when I order my PF naltrexone drops I request that the pharmacy give it to me in 2 x 5 ml bottles so I end up starting a fresh bottle every 2 weeks.

At the opposite extreme, you see the official manufacturer's recommendations for PF eye drops and they are all marketed as single use only - ie. open it, use it once, then throw it in the garbage. This is the safest method for sure, but for specialty compounded items (ex. naltrexone drops), asking for it to be dispensed that way would likely be prohibitively expensive, hence compromises end up being made (using a PF for 2 weeks but alcohol swabbing it each time and keeping it in the fridge... not as safe as tossing it out after a single use, but hopefully safe enough, right?)

[jenbooks]

That's a good idea, alcohol swabbing each time. I need to get some alcohol wipes then. However, eveclear is better (I've seen studies).

I did drip alcohol all over the dropper top.

I have kept it fridgerated.

I kind of want to use them anyway but I'm a worrywart.

OTOH, what is on my lash is already in my eye anyway. I mean, these bacteria around our lids and skin and on our lashes, are already in our eyes.

[jenbooks]

Oh and two five ml bottles would definitely be better. I might ask for glass, too...I read that the screwcap also tends to get contaminated. One just has to be very careful where placing it down, how picking it up...etc.
A glass bottle might be much easier.