Antibiotic Eye Drops

What are antibiotic eye drops used for? Go through this article to find out how antibiotic eye drops help in treating eye infections.

Our eyes are very delicate organs. Exposure to allergens, eye strain and a lack of eye care can make us vulnerable to several eye problems. Redness, inflammation, swelling, discharge, pain, eye fatigue and itchiness could be attributed to eye infections such as blepharitis, conjunctivitis or keratitis. Different types of eye drops are used for treating eye infections and inflammatory conditions associated with the eyes. These are classified into artificial tears, antihistamine, mast cell stabilizers, non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, corticosteroid, eye drops for glaucoma, antibiotic and antiviral eye drops. Eye drops that are used for treating bacterial infections are referred to as antibiotic eye drops. Wondering how do antibiotics work? Here's some information on how these eye drops help in treating bacterial infections.

Types of Antibiotic Eye drops

Antibiotic eye drops are basically suspension of drugs that are used for treating bacterial eye infections. The purpose of these eye drops is not restricted to treating bacterial eye infections, these might even be used for preventing eye infections. While some antibiotics are broad-spectrum, some of them are used for killing a specific group of bacteria. These are referred to as narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Antibiotic eye drops are basically categorized into bacteriocidal, bacteriostatic and combination eye drops. Bacteriocidal eye drops contain certain active compounds that have the ability to kill bacteria. Wondering how do antibiotics kill bacteria? Well, these eye drops contain certain active compounds that target essential chemical pathways, inner cell membrane and outer cell wall and interrupt the chemical processes that help these bacteria grow in the body.

Many of these eye drops contain aminglycosides which act against certain types of bacteria. These are especially effective against a bacteria called pseudomonas. This bacteria is generally responsible for contamination of contact lenses. Neomycin, tobramycin, amikacin and gentamycin are all classified as aminoglycosides. The other category of antibiotics is called bacteriostatic antibiotic drugs. These drugs don't kill bacteria, but prevent them from multiplying. Antibiotic eye drops for pink eye generally belong to the category of bacteriostatic eye drops.

Sometimes these eye drops might also contain other drugs. These are referred to as combination eye drops. Combination eye drops are generally used to treat emergency cases. This kind of treatment is based on the principle of antibiotic synergism. Sometimes, the combined effect of different types of antibiotics is more effective than using individual antibiotics. Cases where the bacterial strain hasn't been identified and the bacteria seems to be capable of a great deal of harm, antibiotics and steroids are generally combined together for the treatment. These can also help in prevention of the development of resistant strains of bacteria. The most commonly used antibiotic eye drops include ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, ofloxacin, tobramycin and monofloxacin.

Overuse of Antibiotic Eye Drops

Now that you have some idea about the different types of antibiotics used in eye drops, let's find out more about the side effects of antibiotic eye drops. Over-the-counter availability of these eye drops is becoming a major cause of concern. Though both prescription eye drops and the eye drops that are sold over-the-counter at pharmacies might cause certain side effects, but prolonged use or overuse of antibiotics in the form of antibiotic eye ointments or drops can lead to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria. These eye drops must therefore be used only when the infection is caused due to bacteria. Using these for treating allergies of the eyes or viral infections is surely a bad idea.

You must use these eye drops only under the supervision of a doctor.There are certain bacterial infections that need to be treated with the help of target-specific antibiotics. Using broad-spectrum antibiotic eye drops might not be a good way of treating such infections. If you have been experiencing discomfort or irritation in your eyes, don't buy eye drops without consulting an ophthalmologist. Instilling eye drops can even lead to certain side effects. If you experience discomfort or antibiotics side effects such as redness, itchiness, severe stinging sensation or blurred vision, you must discontinue using that particular eye drop or antibiotic eye ointment and consult an ophthalmologist immediately.

This was some information on antibiotic eye drops. Before administering eye drops in your eyes, you must be sure about the type of infection you are suffering from. Since overuse of antibiotics for a long period of time can lead to the bacteria acquiring resistance to these antibiotics, you must refrain from using these drops on your own.