Diagnostic ophthalmic dye Pregnancy: Safety for use in pregnancy and lactation has not been established, therefore use only when considered essential by the physician.

Fluorescein Sodium 2% Eye Drops

Brand names: Minims Fluorescein

Fluorescein sodium eye drops are a diagnostic dye used to reveal corneal epithelial damage, aid applanation tonometry and assist contact lens fitting.

Auto-extracted from the source labelling — not yet independently clinician-verified. These values were distilled from the UK SPC (or the US label where noted) but have not had a clinician sign-off. Confirm against the current SmPC before prescribing.

Adult dose

Dose: Instil dropwise into the eye — sufficient solution should be applied to stain the damaged areas (the SPC specifies no number of drops)

Route: Ophthalmic — topical instillation into the eye. Excess may be washed away with sterile saline solution.

Frequency: As required to stain the damaged areas; each Minims unit is single-use and must be discarded after a single use

STRENGTH CAVEAT: this page is titled 'Fluorescein Sodium 2% Eye Drops', but the only source fetched is the UK SPC for 'Minims Fluorescein Sodium 1% w/v, Eye drops solution' — a 1% presentation. The posology above is expressed qualitatively in the SPC and is not strength-specific, but the intended strength should be confirmed before publication. NO DROP COUNT has been carried across because the SPC states none — the page's current '1-2 drops' figure is NOT supported by this source and must be sourced separately (e.g. from the 2% Minims SPC) or removed. The same instruction applies to adults, children and the elderly (section 4.2), so no separate paediatric dose exists. CONTAMINATION: special care should be taken to avoid microbial contamination — Pseudomonas aeruginosa grows well in fluorescein solutions, therefore a single-dose solution is preferred and each Minims unit should be discarded after a single use (section 4.4). SOURCE COVERAGE: no openFDA (US) record and no WHO record were fetched for this drug — the UK SPC is the sole source in this bundle.

Dose auto-extracted from UK Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) via the eMC — not yet clinician-verified. Always confirm against the product SmPC and your local formulary before prescribing.

Contraindications

Not to be used with soft contact lenses

Side effects

Adverse reactions are very rare (less than 1/10,000), including isolated reports
Allergic conjunctivitis
Peri-orbital oedema
Anaphylactic reaction — symptoms of allergic-type reactions and anaphylaxis have been reported following topical ophthalmic administration
Urticaria and rash

Interactions

None known (SPC section 4.5)

Clinical monograph

How it works

The dye fluoresces under blue light and collects where the corneal or conjunctival epithelium is disrupted, highlighting abrasions, ulcers and other surface defects.

Prescribing in practice

Soft contact lenses should be removed before instillation because fluorescein permanently stains them, and reinsertion should be delayed as advised.
It is a diagnostic agent only and does not treat the underlying condition, so abnormal findings need appropriate management.
Single-use minims reduce the risk of contamination, which is important given fluorescein solutions can support microbial growth.

Monitoring

No systemic monitoring is required for topical use; interpret the staining pattern to guide diagnosis.

Counselling the patient

Your tears may appear yellow-green briefly after the drops.
Remove soft contact lenses beforehand and wait as advised before reinserting them.
Report any persistent eye pain or visual disturbance.

Evidence & guidelines

Topical fluorescein is a long-established diagnostic dye for ocular surface assessment, with use guided by the SPC.

Reference: Emergency ophthalmology protocols; Drug verified in RxNorm (NLM); confirm dosing against the manufacturer SPC (eMC). Verify against your local formulary and current prescribing references before prescribing. The structured dose values shown have been reviewed by a clinician. Monograph status: clinician-reviewed (2026-07-04).

Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.

Calculators

Pathways