Requests for eye products are a common occurrence in Russian pharmacies. Despite the fact that most drugs used in ophthalmology are dispensed by prescription, in some cases, the pervostolnik can help the buyer in choosing a drug. Some OTC drugs are particularly used for conjunctival infections. What remedies can be recommended in this case and what should visitors with prescriptions for drugs in this group pay attention to? We will answer these questions in our review of ophthalmic drops.
Bacterial type of conjunctivitis
Bacterial conjunctivitis most often occurs in childhood. This is due to the fact that babies are not able to fully control their movements, so they do not always rub their eyes and eyelids with their hands. As a result, bacteria enter the eye mucosa by contact, which, when multiplied, lead to the development of the disease. For bacterial conjunctivitis, it is very important to be careful when choosing eye drops, since cheap drugs, for example, Albucid, can lead to unwanted side effects associated with its high aggressiveness. For a bacterial eye infection, it is much better to use drops called Tobrex, which contains a broad-spectrum antibiotic. This drug not only has a lot of good patient reviews, it is also recommended by ophthalmologists for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis, including in childhood.
Drops for pregnant women
Aktipol eye drops
A special medical composition that belongs to the group of drugs that are used to combat eye and ear diseases of inflammatory and infectious types. The drops are a transparent liquid that has no foreign odor or color. Aminobenzoic acid is used as the main active agent - this agent is widely used in the field of ophthalmology. The substance has a very wide spectrum of action. In particular, the composition is distinguished by local anesthesia - it quickly numbs the eyes. Corneal tissue begins to regenerate much faster. Such drops are capable of fighting a variety of types of viruses, and they also increase local immunity.
More: Smartwatch Xiaomi Redmi Watch 2 lite Bluetooth Mi Band - full review (discount inside)!
It is not at all necessary to bury them in case of illness; they also act as a prophylactic agent. Such drops are used if discomfort or redness of the eyes occurs if a person wears contact lenses. The product easily copes with viral conjunctivitis. If follicles form on the mucous membrane. The composition also fights well against pain, discharge and drying out of the mucous membrane. Drops cope well with ophthalmological diseases, the course of which is accompanied by inflammatory processes. The only contraindication to the use of this composition is individual intolerance to individual components.
Advantages:
- Harmless substance;
- Reliably protects against viruses and inflammation;
- Thoroughly heals even serious wounds;
- With the help of drops you can develop local immunity.
Flaws:
- The shelf life of the opened package is not too long;
- Individual intolerance to individual constituent elements occurs.
Aktipol eye drops
Oftalmoferon
It is used in medical practice to cope with eye diseases of various nature, both viral and allergic. The product is characterized by active antiviral and antibacterial effects. The composition contains interferon, which stimulates the production of local immunity. This medicine has a local anesthetic effect. Due to this, the burning sensation is relieved within half an hour, the same thing happens with the redness of the mucous membrane. Drops can be used as a therapeutic or prophylactic composition. They allow you to prevent the occurrence of viral conjunctivitis, as well as get rid of it if a person suffers from allergic reactions.
The solution is a colorless and completely transparent liquid in which no sediment or foreign inclusions are observed. It comes in small polymer bottles, the volume of which is 5 or 10 ml, the lid is made in the form of a dropper dispenser for ease of use. The active agent is recombinant interferon, a protein that the human body can produce independently. Diphenhydramine hydrochloride can also help cope with diseases. This remedy can combat eye diseases not only for pregnant women, but also for nursing mothers and children over the age of one year. The drug is prescribed exclusively by the attending physician, although the composition is sold without a prescription. Instill 4-6 times a day, two drops into each eye. When positive dynamics are noticeable, the number of instillations is reduced to 2-3 per day. The duration of treatment can reach one and a half months.
Advantages:
- It can even be used with other medications that enhance the effects of the drug;
- Allowed for use by pregnant, lactating women and small children;
- Allows you to cope well with redness and inflammatory processes.
Flaws:
- Quite expensive;
- Short shelf life after opening the package.
Oftalmoferon
Taufon
Effectively copes with many inflammatory eye diseases. They can be used both before and after surgery. With the help of this remedy you can prevent infection, as well as quickly get rid of pain after surgery. The product is either completely transparent or has a slight yellowish tint. The drops do not contain any foreign matter, flakes, etc. Diclofenac sodium is used as the main active agent here. The composition also contains polyethoxylated castor oil, trometamol, purified water, benzalkonium chloride, mannitol and some other agents. The drops have an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect.
The active substances bind cyclooxygenase, after which the development of pathogenic and viral microorganisms slows down. After just a couple of days of regular use, swelling decreases, vision improves, and the blurred vision goes away. The substance is most active in the first half hour after instillation. The substance does not enter the bloodstream and, accordingly, has no effect on internal organs. Drops can be used as a prophylactic if a person suffers from increased photosensitivity.
Advantages:
- Reasonable cost;
- Quickly and reliably copes with pain and swelling;
- Bacteria do not become accustomed to this product;
- Quite a long lasting positive effect.
Flaws:
- Immediately after instillation, a slight burning sensation may be felt.
Taufon
List of essential medications
In addition to information about which drops can eliminate the signs of conjunctivitis and help cope with eye fatigue, several other remedies that require a more detailed discussion should be indicated:
- Gludantan is a powder that must be dissolved before use.
- Poludan is a remedy to combat the symptoms of conjunctivitis. The package does not include a dropper, so you need to buy an additional pipette.
- Oftadet is used not only in cases of acute conjunctivitis, but also for gonorrheal lesions in children.
- Sofradex is an ointment that eliminates inflammation and can be used for a large number of ophthalmic problems.
- Florexan is used mainly for mild conjunctivitis. In addition, this solution is excellent for disinfecting contact lenses.
- Vigamox is a very effective drug that is prescribed to treat corneal ulcers. It is mainly suitable for elderly patients.
- Indocollyr is often prescribed for infectious diseases, including in the postoperative period.
- Rohto normalizes not only the eyes, but the entire body. This medicine is not used for treatment, but for the prevention of inflammatory processes.
You should also note medications that contain cortisone or chloramphenicol. When using such drops, pain and burning in the eyes may occur during instillation.
All of the drugs listed are quite effective, but only an experienced doctor can choose the one that is needed in a particular situation. In an emergency situation, that is, when it is not possible to visit a doctor in the near future, and conjunctivitis progresses, one of the medications can be used. In the future, at the first opportunity, you still need to consult a doctor to clarify the correct choice of drug. In addition, different drugs are used for adult patients and for children, so you need to be careful not to harm the child. For example, drugs for adults are usually more aggressive and cause pain and lacrimation; they are contraindicated for children. Sometimes the doctor prescribes a course of antibiotics to treat purulent conjunctivitis, but all this is individual and determined by the type of disease.
Eye drops and ointments for allergic conjunctivitis
In case of allergic conjunctivitis, it is necessary, first of all, to eliminate or minimize contact with the allergen. To relieve symptoms, antihistamine H1-blockers are prescribed to suppress the allergic reaction:
- drops Allergodil, Opatanol, Cromohexal, Lecrolin, Ketotifen, etc.;
- decongestant and vasoconstrictor drops (Vizin, Visomitin, Oksial);
- eye ointments, incl. hormonal (Hydrocortisone, Dexamethasone);
Tablets of systemic antihistamines (for example, Tavegil, Suprastin, Loratadine and their analogues) may also be prescribed.
"Tsipromed"
One of the most popular and effective drugs. The active ingredient - ciprofloxacin - has a concentration of 0.3% per 1 ml of liquid. Belongs to the group of fluoroquinolones - inhibitors of bacterial cell activity. Its action is irreversible and leads to the final suppression of pathogenic microorganisms. "Tsipromed" quickly penetrates the eye tissue and begins to act within 10 minutes after instillation. The therapeutic effect lasts from 4 to 6 hours. The popularity of the drug is also explained by the fact that it has practically no contraindications, with the exception of the standard ones: pregnancy, children under 1 year of age, as well as individual intolerance to drugs of the fluoroquinolone group.
Remember: only a competent specialist can determine the nature of the disease and prescribe the necessary medications. Do not self-medicate so as not to cause even greater complications in your eyes.
Adenoviral conjunctivitis: treatment in adults
This type of inflammation occurs as a secondary disease that develops against the background of a viral infection. First, a person becomes infected, for example, with ARVI, and then accidentally introduces viruses into the eye, which leads to an inflammatory process. The first symptoms of the disease are characteristic of all viral infections:
- weakness and drowsiness;
- fever and chills;
- runny nose;
- cough;
- headache.
After a few days or a week, signs of conjunctivitis begin to appear: lacrimation, itching, burning, etc. Unlike bacterial inflammation, viral inflammation is not accompanied by purulent discharge. The formation of a mucous film on the surface of the eye is observed.
Viral conjunctivitis is treated with antiviral drops. Antibacterial agents are also prescribed. They are necessary to prevent a bacterial infection from joining the underlying disease.
How is conjunctivitis treated in adults?
Conjunctivitis is an inflammatory lesion of the conjunctiva, which is also called the connective membrane of the eye. Many eye diseases are reflected precisely in the state of this structure of the eyeball. It is an outer covering that protects the inner parts of the eye from external influences. In addition, the conjunctiva performs a secretory function, helping to moisturize the surface of the cornea. Any pathology affecting the connective membrane prevents the eyes from functioning normally. One of the most common diseases of the conjunctiva is conjunctivitis. Almost 70% of the population suffer from it or have had it at least once in their lives.
How is conjunctivitis treated, and how dangerous is this disease for the eyes? If treatment is prescribed in the first days of the illness, the patient is guided by all the doctor’s instructions and no unpredictable situations arise, then the inflammation goes away quite quickly, in a week or two. In some cases, the disease drags on.
This usually becomes a consequence of untimely prescribed therapy or a person’s irresponsible attitude towards their health. Many patients continue to go to work and stop taking medications, as a result of which conjunctivitis becomes chronic. Let's take a closer look at this pathology, find out its causes, symptoms, and types. Next, we will analyze the methods used to treat adult patients with conjunctivitis.
Groups of drops with antibiotics
These drugs are divided into three groups depending on the pronounced effect.
Aminoglycosides. Active substances penetrate the membranes of pathogen cells and suppress protein synthesis in them. The active substances are localized in the cornea, vitreous body and fluid of the anterior chamber of the eye. In total, there are about 100 drugs in this group. Fluoroquinolones. A relatively new category of potent antibiotics against inflammatory and infectious diseases. The great advantage of such drugs is their rapid effect. This is because fluoroquinolones immediately enter the bloodstream. However, for all their positive properties, they also have many side reactions and contraindications, so such drops are used with caution. Levomycetins. This group includes drugs based on chloramphenicol, which disrupt protein synthesis in ribosomes at the DNA and RNA level, thereby providing a bacteriostatic effect. These are inexpensive medications with a minimum of side effects, approved even for pregnant women and children. But they are not effective for all types of conjunctivitis.
Symptoms
The clinical picture of the disease depends on the immediate causes that caused it, and at the same time has characteristically recognizable features. However, the general symptoms are typical for any type of conjunctivitis and are described by redness of the connective membrane, swelling, sensation of a foreign body in the eye, and lacrimation.
Bacterial conjunctivitis of the eyes in adults usually manifests itself acutely. The defining symptom is abundant purulent discharge that accumulates in the corners of the eyes and along the eyelash line. This condition is often observed with staphylococcal infection. Infection with pneumococci is characterized by the presence of pinpoint hemorrhages on the conjunctiva. Photophobia and pain when moving the eyeballs are often observed. Bacterial conjunctivitis of the eyes in adults is sometimes accompanied by hyperemia, but, as a rule, in severe cases, when the disease is very advanced.
The disease is bacterial in nature and has a high degree of infection. If the infection gets into one eye, then after a few hours the same signs will appear in the other. Bacterial conjunctivitis is easily transmitted through household contact and carries the risk of infecting other people.
The same applies to cases where eye conjunctivitis in adults is caused by various types of viruses. The viral etiology of the disease is determined by general symptoms without suppuration. However, the pathology provoked by the herpes virus is characterized by the appearance of blisters on the surface of the eyelids. Severe itching, burning, and blepharospasm complement the clinical picture of infection.
If you have ARVI, influenza, etc. Symptoms of conjunctivitis do not appear immediately. The ophthalmological disorder in this case manifests itself as a secondary pathology.
The allergic genesis of conjunctivitis in most cases has a chronic form and is activated only by direct exposure to the allergen on the body. The clinic is quite acute and requires immediate medical attention.
Eye drops for conjunctivitis with antibiotic
Infectious diseases develop due to increased activity and spread of pathogenic microorganisms, for example, staphylococci, streptococci, on the tissues of the eyes (and sometimes inside them). Such pathogens can be eliminated with the help of effective antibiotic drugs. They are used only for the bacterial form of conjunctivitis, and for the viral form there are their own medications.
In practice, such antibiotic drops are divided into two categories. Bactericidal drugs directly destroy the bacterial cells themselves and they die, but at the same time they release endotoxins into the human blood. To avoid the dangerous effects of these toxic substances, the course of treatment also includes bacteriostatic drugs that inhibit the further development and growth of colonies of microorganisms.
"Tobrex", "Tobropt"
Drops affect not only bacteria, but also some fungi. Their active base is tobramycin, which is a strong antibiotic and can cope with most known pathogens of infectious diseases. The active substances of the drug disrupt the integrity of membranes in microbial cells and suppress protein synthesis in them. Among the disadvantages of these drops, it can be noted that they only work when used systematically. Once the course of treatment is stopped, the surviving bacteria begin to multiply again.