What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider Before Taking Optivar?
- Have any allergies, including allergies to foods, dyes, or preservatives
- Are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
- Are breastfeeding.
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about any other medications you are taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Specific Optivar Warnings and Precautions
Some warnings and precautions to be aware of prior to taking Optivar include the following:
- This medication is to be used only as an eye drop. It should not be taken by mouth or by injection.
- 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.
- Optivar comes in single-use containers or in a multi-use bottle. Discard the single-use container immediately after use (do not save any remaining solution for later).
- If you wear contact lenses, you must remove them to use the drops. In order to prevent the lens from absorbing the medication, make 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.
- Optivar 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 Optivar and Pregnancy).
- It is unknown if Optivar passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start breastfeeding, discuss this with your healthcare provider prior to taking the drug (see Optivar and Breastfeeding).
