1Old, opened eye drops risk bacterial growth and can even cause blindness.
2Discard single-use drops instantly; bottled drops expire 1 month after opening.
3Always distinguish between the expiration date and the period after opening.
📖 Easy Explanation
🔍 Background
Do you often use eye drops when your eyes are blurry or dry? A warning has been issued that continuing to use old eye drops to save money can severely damage your eye health.
📌 Key Points
Eye drops are exposed to airborne bacteria the moment they are opened. Preservative-free single-use drops must be discarded immediately after one use, and multi-use bottled drops should be safely discarded one month after opening.
💡 Why It Matters
Using contaminated eye drops can cause severe inflammation and even lead to vision loss. It is highly recommended to check your medicine cabinet today and throw away any eye drops with an unknown opening date.
🔮 What's Next
To manage them safely, try writing the opening date on the outside of the bottle whenever you open a new eye drop.
📚 Glossary
무방부제 안약 (Mubangbuje Anyak)Preservative-free eye drops, usually single-use, which are highly vulnerable to bacterial contamination.
각막염 (Gangmangnyeom)Keratitis, an inflammation of the cornea (the clear front part of the eye) that causes pain and decreased vision.