Antibiotic eye drops often unhelpful for pinkeye

About 60 percent of patients nationwide are prescribed antibiotic eye drops, even though antibiotics are rarely necessary to treat this common eye infection. Of the patients filling antibiotic prescriptions, 20 percent filled prescriptions for antibiotic-steroid eye drops that can prolong or worsen the infection.

The study by the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center is consistent with a nationwide trend of antibiotic misuse for common viral and mild bacterial conditions. It’s a trend that increases costs to patients and the health care system and may promote antibiotic resistance.

Senior study author, IHPI member and Kellogg ophthalmologist Joshua Stein, M.D., director of the Center for Eye Policy and Innovation, says a new approach is needed for managing acute conjunctivitis that involves patients, health care providers and policymakers.

“Educating patients about acute conjunctivitis’ often benign, self-limited course may help to dispel misconceptions about the condition and reduce reflexive demands for immediate antibiotic use,” says Stein. 

The American Academy of Ophthalmology has issued guidance to the medical community on treatment for pinkeye. The Academy tells health care providers to avoid prescribing antibiotics for viral conditions and to delay immediate treatment when the cause of conjunctivitis is unknown.