Comparative in vitro investigation of the forces exerted by eye drops and eye spray.

Topical administration of ophthalmic drugs is predominantly carried out in the form of eye drops. The application of an eye spray represents a feasible alternative to drop instillation with regard to the clinical efficacy. In this study the forces exerted during the application of eye drops and eye spray to a surface were measured in vitro and compared with each other. Whereas the maximal forces that occurred with a falling drop tended to increase with greater application distance, the forces decreased with spraying. From an application distance of 3 cm the eye spray proved to have a more favorable mechanical force effect than the eye drops. In view of the loss of experimental liquid caused by spray application as well as the diameter of the spray cone, a spray distance of from 4 cm to 5 cm can be deemed to be optimal.