DENVER (KDVR) — Two very similar bottles stored in the same place in the home have led to a growing number of people seeking medical attention for accidentally putting glue in their eyes.

According to Dr. Richard Davidson, professor of ophthalmology at UCHealth, these types of injuries are hard to track, but it is a fairly common problem.

“I can’t say it’s something that we see every day, but it is relatively common in the sense that we certainly get several cases a year where people come in,” Davidson said.

Mistaking glue for eyedrops gained attention in November 2024 when a TikTok video went viral after a user explained that she grabbed a bottle of nail glue instead of eye drops, then showed her journey to get the glue removed.

According to medical professionals, the confusion arises because nail glue and eye drops come in similar-looking bottles.

“Lots of people confuse things that are supposed to go elsewhere and end up putting it in their eye because either they’re visually impaired or they’re just grabbing for things quickly without looking at the label,” Davidson said.

Thankfully, Davidson said if you make this mistake, it will not cause permanent damage, but it is a very uncomfortable process.

“When it hits the eye, it hardens very quickly. I mean, within a matter of seconds,” he said. “Once it hardens, it’s very hard to get off.”

Removing glue from eyes

Davidson said they encourage people who do make this mistake or even splash glue in their eye accidentally, to soak a towel and try to loosen it or remove it before it hardens. If it has hardened already, they recommend seeking professional help.

“Getting it off varies. Sometimes you can tease it off or peel it off. Sometimes it’s on the eyeball itself and we leave it and put a contact lens over it until it falls off,” Davidson said. “So that when you blink, you don’t feel like you have a rock in the eye, but it can definitely be uncomfortable.”

Nail glue isn’t the only offender. Davidson said people often confuse ear drops with eye drops, and lash glue has also been known to accidentally splash into the eyes as well. This is why Sunny Tren, lash tech at Purluxe Beauty Bar, said it is important to be careful when applying false eyelashes at home.

“Don’t put it too close to your eyelid,” she said. “Because once you put it close, like really close, the glue will get into your eyes and that’s going to be a problem.”

She also said buying the right kind of lash glue can mean all the difference as well.

“Before you try to buy the glue, please read all the comments and what are the products they put in there. Be very careful especially if your eye is very sensitive,” she said.

Whether it’s lash glue, nail glue or ear drops, Davidson said your best defense is to make sure you are carefully reading labels before putting anything near your eye.

“It never hurts to put an extra label on like maybe put a fluorescent sticker on the, the one that doesn’t go in the eye or whatever it is,” he said. “Have a system because if people are using these things frequently, it’s good to be able to sort them out.”