Who is the leaflet for?
This booklet is for patients attending the eye clinic who are prescribed preservative free eye drops which are aseptically prepared in the Aseptic Pharmacy.
It will explain:
- How eye drops are made.
- Where eye drops can be collected from.
- Storage requirements and expiry dates.
- What to do if you run out of eye drops.
- How to contact the pharmacy.
What is aseptic preparation?
Aseptic preparation is the production of medications in such a way that they remain sterile for administration to patients. Certain eye drops are produced in this way on -site in the Aseptic Pharmacy. These eye drops are made on request from the ophthalmology team and cannot be obtained from a traditional pharmacy. The Aseptic Pharmacy can only supply a maximum of seven days’ treatment at any time.
Where can I collect my eye drops?
Eye drops are made in the Aseptic Pharmacy and are then sent for collection from the Emergency Eye Clinic (Clinic 14).
Alternatively, it may be possible for the eye drops to be posted to your address. Please contact the Aseptic Pharmacy directly to see if this is possible.
Storage requirements
Aseptically made eye drops are supplied in a brown light‑proof bag.
You should keep your eye drops in a refrigerator in the brown light-proof bag to protect from light
Expiry dates
Each eye drop bottle can only be used for 24 hours once opened. Please use a new bottle every day and discard after 24 hours.
What do I do if I run out of eye drops?
If you use one eye drop bottle per day, you should not run out of eye drops; but if you do run out, please contact the Aseptic Pharmacy as soon as possible to request a new supply.
If you run out of your eye drops outside of Aseptic pharmacy opening hours it is likely that you will require a new prescription from the Emergency Eye Clinic at the hospital. The clinic will then need to contact the Inpatient Dispensary so that a new supply can be arranged.
Contacting the pharmacy
Aseptic Pharmacy
The Aseptic Pharmacy can be contacted directly on 01223 217505.
Opening hours are:
09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday
Emergency Eye Clinic (Clinic 14)
Clinic 14 can be contacted on 01223 217778, option #2 and leave a voicemail, this is checked regularly and your call will be returned.
Opening hours are:
09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday
We are smoke-free
Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the hospital campus. For advice and support in quitting, contact your GP or the free NHS stop smoking helpline on 0800 169 0 169.
Other formats
Help accessing this information in other formats is available. To find out more about the services we provide, please visit our patient information help page (see link below) or telephone 01223 256998. www.cuh.nhs.uk/contact-us/accessible-information/
Contact us
Cambridge University Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
Hills Road, Cambridge
CB2 0QQ
Telephone +44 (0)1223 245151
https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/contact-us/contact-enquiries/