Which OTC Eye Drops Help Counter the Effect of a Drooping Eyelid Caused by Botox Treatment?

Eyelid droop can be corrected with a prescription eye drop (Iopidine 0.5%). This can help alleviate the droop within a few weeks to a month. You can also wait a couple of months for the effects of the Botox to wear off, at which point the droopiness will also go away. You should see your injector first instead of self-medicating.

Unfortunately OTC eye drops offer minimal to no improvement for eyelid droop.I would recommend being seen by your injecting physician to ensure that you have eyelid droop and not eyebrow droop.  He/she would likely prescribe Apraclonidine 0.5, 3-4 times per day.  These can raise your eyelid 2mm, on average. Be sure that your physician discusses all potential side effects of the eye-drops including "adrenaline-like" symptoms (such as anxiety, and "heart-racing"), as well as possible eye-irritation, dryness, and pain.Good luck.

Please check with your treating physician if you would benefit from drops. The effective ones are prescription.

Although it is hard to tell without examining you, you should first be seen by your provider to determine that it isn't brow drop versus eyelid drop. 

Iopidine is often prescribed to counter eyelid droop, and it should resolve in 2 to 6 weeks without further treatment. We don't recommend any OTC drops to help counter eyelid ptosis.   

 

 

 

 

 

The best drops for treating temporary upper eyelid ptosis after Botox is iopidine, and this is available by prescription. Phenylepherine OTC eye drops for eye redness may be beneficial, but when ptosis has occurred in my patients, phenylepherine has only provided limited benefits, and iopidine was ultimately prescribed.

In any event, your ptosis will completely resolve, usually within 6 weeks.

All the best.

Dr. Joseph

The good thing about upper eyelid droopiness (ptosis) after Botox is that it is temporary, lasting weeks to a few months.  There are some presription eye drops that can help elevate the upper eyelids temporarily. You do have some OTC eye drops with similar effect as well, namely the drops that are used to get rid of red eyes, but I would not recommend their use more than a few times as you can get rebound eye redness after stopping them. Please consult an ophthalmologist or oculoplastic surgeon.

Iopidine drops can help lift a drooping eyelid for several hours but it is only available by prescription.  No OTC eyedrops will help.

Eyelid drooping after Botox injections typically occur for 2 reasons. The first is that injections into the forehead (for the horizontal forehead wrinkles) can cause the forehead itself to drop somewhat, which can crowd the upper eyelid, causing eyelid heaviness (not true drooping). The treatment for this is to inject a bit more Botox into the area under the lateral part of the eyebrow which will cause the forehead to lift upwards slightly. The second is a true ptosis of the upper lid where the Botox has caused weakness to the muscle that holds the lid up. While this is rare, it does happen and can be treated with a prescription eye drop.There is no OTC remedy for this. In either case, you need to go back to your injector both for a diagnosis of the problem and for the appropriate treatment. Good luck.

A drooping eyelid caused by a Botox treatment can last 3-4 months and will subside on its own. I recommend talking to your Physician or provider that performed the treatment. There are no over-the-counter eye drops which will counter the effect. 

To my knowledge there aren't any OTC eye drops that would help with this. The reason the one we all recommend is a prescription (Iopidine (aka apraclonidine)) is because it contains a specific, regulated product which is only available via a pharmacy.