Bimatoprost Ophthalmic Solution

To instill the eye drops, follow these steps :

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
• Check the dropper tip to make sure that it is not chipped or cracked.
• Avoid touching the dropper tip against your eye or anything else; eye drops and droppers must be kept clean.
• While tilting your head back, pull down the lower lid of your eye with your index finger to form a pocket.
• Hold the dropper (tip down) with the other hand, as close to the eye as possible without touching it.
• Brace the remaining fingers of that hand against your face.
• While looking up, gently squeeze the dropper so that a single drop falls into the pocket made by the lower eyelid. Remove your index finger from the lower eyelid.
• Close your eye for 2 to 3 minutes and tip your head down as though looking at the floor. Try not to blink or squeeze your eyelids.
• Place a finger on the tear duct and apply gentle pressure.
• Wipe any excess liquid from your face with a tissue.
• If you are to use more than one drop in the same eye, wait at least 5 minutes before instilling the next drop.
• Replace and tighten the cap on the dropper bottle. Do not wipe or rinse the dropper tip.
• Wash your hands to remove any medication.

Before using bimatoprost eye drops :

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to bimatoprost or any other medications.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking.
• if you are using another topical eye medication, instill it at least 5 minutes before or after you instill bimatoprost eye drops.
• tell your doctor if you have inflammation (swelling) of the eye or a torn or missing lens and if you have or have ever had liver or kidney disease.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while using bimatoprost, call your doctor.
• you should know that bimatoprost solution contains benzalkonium chloride, which can be absorbed by soft contact lenses. If you wear contact lenses, remove them before instilling bimatoprost and put them back in 15 minutes later.
• if you have an eye injury, infection, or surgery while using bimatoprost, ask your doctor if you should continue using the same eye drop container.

Bimatoprost may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away :

• Itchy eyes
• Dry eyes
• Burning eyes
• Eye pain or irritation
• Eye tearing
• Headaches

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following side effects, call your doctor immediately :

• Sensitivity to light
• Pink eye
• Redness or swelling of the eyelid
• Bimatoprost eye drops may change the color of your eye (to brown) and darken the skin around the eye. It may also cause your eyelashes to grow longer and thicker and darken in color. These changes usually occur slowly, but they may be permanent. If you use bimatoprost in only one eye, you should know that there may be a difference between your eyes after taking bimatoprost. Call your doctor if you notice these changes.
• Bimatoprost eye drops may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while using this medication.