Instilling gel

[Isis]

For some reason, I cannot post a new thread so I will ask this question here. How exactly do you put Genteal gel in your eyes? Is there a specific way? I just bought some and I am having a hard time with it. I also notice that I have nasty gook in my eyes in the morning that causes my vision to be blurry. The gook irritates my eyes and gives me that horrible foreign feeling senation. I end up pulling a bunch of mucus out of my eyes and then I can finally see right again.

[calli66]

I tip my head up, look at the ceiling, pull down my lower lid to form a "pocket" and squeeze/drip the gel into my eyes---I fill them up---overflowing. Then I tip my chin down while keeping my eyes open for a few seconds--sometimes lift my upper lid so the gel can run under it. The idea is to thoroughly coat the eyeballs. I put on my tranquileyes goggles and go to sleep. Sometimes I have to re-apply during the night.

Yes, the eyes are a goopy, crusty, mess in the morning, and have to be cleaned thoroughly. I use OcuFoam and water first, then unpreserved saline on the lashes and lids. There's usually more gel inside the eyes, too---so I squirt more saline (Unisol works for this) into my eyes and on the lashes, and rinse again. You just have to keep working at it---removing the gel that's in and around the eyes. Use gentle wipes with tissue or q-tips soaked in saline to get the last of the residue.

I know it's a pain, but you're right---anything left in the eyes blurs vision. Even after all this rinsing---for me at least--my own tears start to flow a bit, and that has to be blotted for a good hour or so, till everything stabilizes.

Still, it's worth it for me, because the gel reduces the irritation/ inflammation from night-time dryness, and allows my eyes to heal.

Calli

[Isis]

Thanks alot for your reply. So, you drip the gel into your eyes? I was kinda worried about doing that because I don't want to touch the tip to my eye. Is it bad to put it on your finger and then in your eye? I always wash my hands thoroughly and do it like that. I actually switched to gel because I have a hard time aiming the drops into my eyes. I end up wasting them and it's very annoying.

[kitty]

I look in the mirror, pull down my lower lid and squeeze in a tiny bit, maybe a 1/8" thread, no more. In the morning, the first thing I do is rinse my eyes with saline solution. It makes it easy to remove the residue from the gel. Then I put in my normal drops.

[calli66]

So, you drip the gel into your eyes? I was kinda worried about doing that because I don't want to touch the tip to my eye. Is it bad to put it on your finger and then in your eye?

Are we talking about the same stuff-Genteal Gel? It's thick, but it does sort of drip and run when you squeeze the tube. I just hold it over my eye and "aim" the drip while looking past it at the ceiling---so that I don't touch the tip to my eye. I've had a lot of "practice" dripping all kinds of stuff into my eyes.

I don't usually put gel on my finger, but if I have to use an oil-type ointment, I use that method if I have a hard time getting the ointment to part with the tip of the tube.

Calli