In the modern fast-paced life, prolonged use of eyes has become the norm for many people. Whether it's office workers who are busy working in front of the computer or various groups who are addicted to electronic devices, the eyes are often in a state of fatigue. As a result, eye drops have become a commonly used item for many people to relieve eye discomfort. However, there are actually many hidden risks in the use of eye drops, especially regarding the expiration date and the usable period. Many people are not clear about these issues, which may cause serious harm to the eyes.
Recently, a Ms. Zhao encountered a vision crisis due to using expired eye drops. Because Ms. Zhao worked in front of the computer for a long time, her eyes felt dry and uncomfortable. She casually took out an opened bottle of eye drops and dropped a few drops. She thought it would relieve the discomfort, but unexpectedly, her eyes began to show obvious discomfort symptoms the next day. After she rushed to the hospital for a diagnosis, the examination results were shocking: Ms. Zhao's cornea was severely swollen and inflamed, and her vision dropped sharply to only 0.1. Eventually, she was diagnosed with bacterial keratitis.
After the doctor examined the eye drops used by Ms. Zhao, it was found that although there was nearly a year left until the expiration date indicated on the outer packaging, this bottle of eye drops was the remaining part that Ms. Zhao had opened half a year ago. This situation reveals a key issue: the expiration date of eye drops is not the same as the usable period.
According to the clear regulations of the *Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China*, for ophthalmic preparations (including eye drops, eye washes, eye ointments, ophthalmic creams, eye masks, etc.), after being opened, the usable period should not exceed 4 weeks at most. The expiration date marked on the outer packaging of the eye drops we usually see generally refers to the usable date when the eye drops are unopened and kept in a dark place. Once the eye drops are opened, they come into contact with the external environment. When the packaging is opened and used repeatedly, the medicine is likely to be contaminated. Continuing to use the contaminated eye drops is highly likely to cause secondary infections, such as common conjunctivitis, and even more serious keratitis. If not treated in a timely manner, the infection may further deteriorate, leading to corneal ulcers, continuous vision loss, and in severe cases, even blindness.
In addition, some eye drops are of the suspension type, and it is not possible to simply determine whether they are expired by observing the color or whether there are flocculent substances. When storing eye drops, be sure to carefully refer to the requirements in the instruction manual. For example, eye drops containing levofloxacin need to be stored in a dark place, and eye drops containing chloramphenicol need to be refrigerated in an environment of 2-8°C.
The correct selection of eye drops is also of vital importance. When choosing eye drops, you should select them according to the specific symptoms and needs of your own eyes. If the eyes are dry and fatigued due to prolonged use, you can choose some eye drops with moisturizing and fatigue-relieving effects; if there are problems such as eye inflammation, you need to use eye drops with corresponding therapeutic effects. However, no matter which kind of eye drops are selected, it is necessary to follow the doctor's advice and not use them casually on your own.
Ms. Zhao's experience has sounded the alarm for us. People should attach importance to the correct use of eye drops. For special groups such as diabetic patients and the elderly, due to the possible underlying problems in their eyes, they should be more cautious when using eye drops. At the same time, relevant departments and institutions should also strengthen the popular science and publicity of the knowledge of eye drops use, improve public health awareness, let everyone understand the difference between the expiration date and the usable period of eye drops, as well as the correct selection and storage methods, so as to avoid irreversible damage to the eyes caused by improper use.
The eyes are the windows of the soul. In daily life, we should always pay attention to eye health, develop good eye-use habits, correctly use eye care products such as eye drops, and protect our vision to make our lives clearer and more beautiful.
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