Apply the eye drops "how long apart?"

Question

When I get eye drops at a drugstore, the pharmacist tells me something like apply the eye drops four times a day. But, I am not sure if I apply them every two, three or four hours. The eye drop package does not tell that. I will try to ask this question in different ways.

(1) How far apart are every two applications?

(2) How long is it between every two applications?

(3) How long do I wait between every two applications?

Which question(s) make(s) sense? Please help me. Thanks a lot.

Clive · Accepted Answer

I'd say eg How long do I wait between applications?

Barbirolli · Answer

ansonguyI am not sure if I apply them every two, three or four hours. The eye drop package does not tell that. I will try to ask this question in different ways.(1) How far apart are every two applications?(2) How long is it between every two applications?(3) How long do I wait between every two applications?Which question(s) make(s) sense?

None of them makes sense because I am not sure what you mean by “...every two applications”.

Are these drops intended for one eye (as might be the case perhaps for an infection), or both eyes? Is this where the “two applications” business comes in? Do you think that using the drops on both eyes (if they are both affected) constitutes ”two applications”? If so, you are wrong. The dosage indicated by the pharmacist is clear: if you are supposed to treat either one eye or both eyes, you do it as specified four times a day. In fact, you are not providing an actual example, because on a bottle of eye drops it would say e.g. “two drops to be applied to the affected eye or eyes four times a day”. In other words, the dosage would be more specific than you indicated.

Now, with some drugs, it is important to apply them at a regular interval, 24 hours a day. Others do not. Their administration should be spread out as is convenient over the subject's active day, when the subject is not asleep, or when otherwise, he/she cannot take them. The intervals, in terms of their absolute duration, are not too important, but there should be a spread over as long as is practically possible during each 24 hour period.

Because this is so important, I will give you a real, personal, example. I suffer from chronic back pain. Often I have to take Co-Codamol tablets to combat it. The instructions there are to take two tablets every 4 to 6 hours as required, but in no circumstances more than 8 tablets in any 24 hour period. This gives me a lot of discretion precisely when I take the pills, and it sounds like, with your eye drops, you have similar discretion. Put the number of drops specified in each affected eye four times a day: just spread the applications through the day as widely as is convenient.

No questions are necessary to the pharmacist, unless you are not sure how many drops to apply at each administration. Your questions, at the moment, are, I am afraid, unintelligible to me, and almost certainly would be to any pharmacist.

CalifJim · Answer

ansonguyWhen I get eye drops at a drugstore, the pharmacist tells me something like apply the eye drops four times a day.

He means that you should apply them at approximately equal intervals four times during your waking day, typically 16 hours. That would be when you wake up and then every 5 to 5 1/2 hours, the last application being at bedtime.

Once you are told how many times to take a medication in a day, you are expected to work out the math for yourself. There is no need to question the pharmacist about it. If it is very important that you take your medication at specific time intervals, the instructions will say something like "Every 6 hours" or "Every 8 hours". Otherwise, the medication is such that the exact number of hours is not crucial to its efficacy and you can vary the times as is most convenient for you, simply approximating equal time intervals.

ansonguybetween every two applications

You are making your question even more incomprehensible with this phrase. Even a genius pharmacist will be unable to decode your meaning.

CJ

Apply the eye drops "how long apart?"

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