What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider Before Using Claritin Eye?
Prior to using
Claritin® Eye (
ketotifen ophthalmic solution), talk to your healthcare provider if you:
- Have any allergies, including to food, dyes, or preservatives
- Are breastfeeding
- Are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant.
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about any other medications you are taking, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Specific Precautions and Warnings With Claritin Eye
Warnings and precautions to be aware of prior to using
Claritin Eye include the following:
- If you wear contact lenses, you must remove them to use the drops. In order to prevent the lens from absorbing the preservative in the medication, be sure to wait 10 minutes after using the drops before reinserting the lens. Do not wear your contact lenses if your eye is still red.
- In order to prevent contamination of the drops, do not touch the tip of the dropper to any surface, including the surface of the eye.
- Do not use Claritin Eye if the solution becomes cloudy or changes color.
- Do not use this product to treat contact lens irritation.
- Claritin Eye is considered a pregnancy Category C medication. This means that it might be unsafe for use during pregnancy, although the full risks are not currently known (see Ketotifen and Pregnancy).
- It is unknown if Claritin Eye passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start, discuss this with your healthcare provider prior to taking the drug (see Ketotifen and Breastfeeding).
