Pharmacotherapeutic Options for Ophthalmic Conjunctivitis

Abstract

Conjunctivitis is a common eye condition involving inflammation and in some instances infection of the conjunctiva. In the majority of cases it is caused by adenoviruses and to a lesser extent bacteria. Conjunctivitis can also occur secondary to Chlamydial and Gonococcal infections and new-born infants can acquire it during the birthing process from infected mothers. Herpes simplex and Herpes zoster are the infective organisms also responsible for conjunctivitis while seasonal pollens are usually the cause for allergic conjunctivitis. Common symptoms and signs are redness, tearing, oedema of the eyelids, sensation of a foreign body and it may be accompanied by itching. Most often a purulent discharge and adherence of eyelids at awakening are indicators of a bacterial infection. Most of the uncomplicated acute cases are self-limiting. There is however a challenge in distinguishing between the various types of conjunctivitis due to the similarity in the symptoms and due to a lack of tests and prediction algorithms, thus antibiotic therapy is often incorrectly initiated. Treatment of acute uncomplicated conjunctivitis caused by adenoviruses and bacteria is mostly symptomatic. Topical eye drops and ointments are preferred to oral agents in the treatment of more severe bacterial and allergic conjunctivitis while oral agents are used in the treatment of conjunctivitis caused by Herpes simplex, Herpes zoster, Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Anti-infective ophthalmic preparations in general practice

“…Fucidic acid is not a first-line agent due to the increased risk of resistance. 4 Generally, fucidic acid is considered to have a narrow spectrum of activity which predominantly covers staphylococcal infections such as blepharitis or conjunctivitis. However, in a Canadian study that compared the topical use of 1% fusidic acid to 0.3% tobramycin to treat acute bacterial conjunctivitis, no difference in efficacy was demonstrated between the two drugs.…”

“…To limit adverse effects and resistance from developing, chloramphenicol should not be used for longer than five days. 4 The ocular toxicity of topical chloramphenicol is low, although it may serve as a trigger for delayed allergic contact dermatitis or conjunctivitis. Aplastic anaemia and other blood dyscrasias have been linked to the ocular use of chloramphenicol, although it has been shown that the risk is less than one per million treatment courses.…”

Validated thin‐layer chromatography method for simultaneous determination of sulfacetamide sodium and hydrocortisone acetate in the ophthalmic formulation

“…There are a number of drugs that can be used to treat conjunctivitis depending upon the cause, that is, antibacterial agents (bacterial conjunctivitis), antiviral agents (viral conjunctivitis), antihistamines, glucocorticosteroids (allergic conjunctivitis), and so forth. [1][2][3][4].…”

“…Conjunctivitis, an inflammatory eye infection, involves the conjunctiva. Due to blood vessel dilation, which causes hyperemia and conjunctival edema, it appears as the red or pink eye [1]. There are a number of drugs that can be used to treat conjunctivitis depending upon the cause, that is, antibacterial agents (bacterial conjunctivitis), antiviral agents (viral conjunctivitis), antihistamines, glucocorticosteroids (allergic conjunctivitis), and so forth.…”