Two 80-year-olds bring a new eye drop helper invention to market

Well over 80 years of age and starting a business. Evert (86) and Appie (84) from The Netherlands did just that. The friends came up with a unique design to make applying eye drops so much easier. Now thousands of orders are being shipped out on a daily basis. 

How The Idea Was Born
Friends Evert and Appie from The Netherlands accidentally stumbled upon a new invention in the summer of 2018. Both just had eye surgery and needed eye drops daily. At one point Appie forgot to take off his reading glasses while putting drops in his eye. The idea was born! He drilled a hole in his reading glasses and jammed an eye drop bottle in it. "After that, administering eye drops was so much easier."

His friend Evert immediately saw an opportunity in Appie's home made eye drop glasses. He registered with the Chamber of Commerce and plastered his Chevrolet with advertising. The eye drop glasses ended up with three holes in each lens to make it suitable for eye drop bottles, pipettes and single use vials. According to the inventors taking eye drops is child's play now. As easy as 1, 2, 3.

The Early Days
In the beginning Evert and Appie fulfilled all the orders once a week at their kitchen table. Every Friday afternoon they were busy writing names and addresses on envelops, putting on stamps, and adding a pair of eye drop glasses in each envelop. Two to three hundred orders each week went through their hands at their home in Amsterdam. The work would end with a visit to the mailbox to get all the orders out. 

Independence
“We make people happy with our invention. Single people like us especially. You don't want to go to the neighbors twelve times a day to get help.” There is also a very positive response from nursing homes and aid care services. It saves them time and gives people back their independence.