Once Individual Vials have been opened

[rubyslippers]

How long can you use them. For example, I may open a Refresh and can get 3-4 uses out of it. I toss it on my desk or in my pocket. I try to remember to throw opened ones away at the end of the day if they are not used, but sometimes I forget and once in awhile I use the last of one that has been opened 24-36 hours. Is this risky?

[kitty]

I personally would not use it longer than 24 hours and definitely would not use it if the tip touched anything. It needs to stay in a small glass or holder between uses.

[rubyslippers]

What do you mean by glass holder? I keep them in my pocket so that I have them right there. I like them warm and my body heat keeps them the perfect temp.

[odydnas]

Rubyslippers, the last thing you need is an eye infection! Please do not use a vial that's been opened for more than 24 hours, especially if it's been sitting on your desk or in your pocket. I keep my open vials of Restasis in a clean sandwich bag in the frigdge, as requested by my doc. If you want to keep your vial in your pocket, please lower your chance of getting nasty bacteria on the tip of your vial by tossing it into a clean sandwich bag before stuffing it in your pocket. Use a new bag for each vial.

Kitty, where do you find a holder for vials?

[Judy]

I spoke with a pharmacist about this subject several years ago and he said they are good for 24 hours (if you are careful and keep the little tops on or store them in a vial). After 24 hours, any additional use is risky.

[rubyslippers]

I just called the pharmacist too. I hadn't thought of that before. He said 24 hours or a bit longer is safe in my pocket or on my desk. I keep the little lids on them. He said that refrigerating really won't make any difference for that short of time. They are so expensive and I go through so many that I do not want to waste them. He said at the end of 24 hours just to pour the rest into my eyes and then start with a new one. I am trying to do better at keeping track so I don't have 3-4 open at a time, but I am all over the building at work and I need them when I need them and often cannot go back to my desk to get the opened one. He also said that some find using them at body temperature prevents eye inflammation. He said for some (and I am certainly one) having them hit the eye cold is too much a shock to the eye and there will be a rebound affect an hour or too later. He recommends that if you store drops in the frig that you let them become room temp before you put them into your eyes to prevent the constriction of the blood vessels which is a procedure that requires moisture and that moisture comes from inside your eye and you may be paying later. I know this is true for me. He did say to keep them in a cooler if you have them outside for a day at the lake or something though, as they should not get really hot.

[Judy]

Ha! My reputation precedes me with little eyedrop containers. I leave a trail of them wherever I go. My family makes fun of me incessantly; always in a loving way, though... I can relate!

[NYer]

Little Plastic Thingies

I put the drops in my eyes when I'm half asleep (my eyes are driest when I sleep). I keep the new vials in a jar next to the bed and the ones I've opened on the table right next to it.
...With my eyes closed, I feel around on the nightstand, if I feel one on the table that's already used (with the cap back on), I use that. If I have dropped the cap or lost it, I do not re-use the vial. With the cap on, I don't worry for up to 48 hours (although after reading what your pharmacist said, maybe I'll limit that to 24 hours now).
Then I fling the vial in the direction of the garbage pail. Some go in...most don't
Mostly, I find them in my shoes when I go to put my shoes on in the morning.
Oh, and the caps rarely go in the same direction as the vials - they fly in another direction. So the empty vials are in my right shoe, the caps in the left...or anywhere else in my apartment.

[Judy]

Ha ha!! I love it! Too bad we can't recycle them into jewelry or something!