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Info Sheet: Eye Prophylaxis, aka Eye Ointment
| Posted on July 23, 2013 at 8:14 AM |
 Definition Eye Prophylaxis: ointment or eye
drops containing an antibiotic medication that are placed in a newborn's eyes. Source: History: Why was
it developed? What was it supposed to treat? “The use of erythromycin eye ointment in newborns has its roots in the
late 1800s. During that time period, approximately 10% of newborns born in
maternity hospitals across Europe developed ophthalmia neonatorum (ON). ON is a type of pink eye that caused
blindness in 3% of infants who were affected (Schaller and
Klauss 2001). This means that during the late 1800s, before antibiotics were
discovered, 0.3% of infants (3 out of 1,000) were blinded from ON. In 1881, a physician named Carl Crede realized that infants were
catching ON during vaginal delivery, and that the infections were caused by gonorrhea—a sexually transmitted infection.
Dr. Crede found that by putting silver
nitrate in the eyes of newborn babies, he could prevent ON. Has it been
effective: has the incidence decreased because of the
intervention/procedure/test? “The number of newborn ON infections in Dr. Crede’s hospital went from
30-35 cases per year to 1 case in the first six months he started using silver
nitrate. Today, more than 130 years after Dr. Crede made his discovery, quite a
few things have changed though. First, the development of antibiotics has made
it possible to treat an infant who contracts ON—thus making blindness highly
unlikely. Also, silver nitrate is no longer used in most developed countries,
because it is highly irritating to the eye and can cause severe pain, chemical
pink eye, and temporary vision impairment. Silver nitrate is also not effective
with infections caused by Chlamydia, the most common cause of ON today.
Furthermore, silver nitrate and tetracycline eye ointment (another antibiotic
that has been used in the past to prevent ON) are no longer available in the U.S.
For these reasons, 0.5% erythromycin ophthalmic
ointment is used in the U.S. and Canada to prevent ON infection.”  Pros
Cons
Links to continue your research and draw your own conclusion about what
is best for your family: Randomized Trial Results published in the American Journal of Pediatrics, 1993 Comparison of silver nitrate, tetracycline, erythromycin and no prophylaxisThe bacterial etiology of conjunctivitis in early infancy. Eye Prophylaxis Study Group.Failure of erythromycin ointment for postnatal ocular prophylaxis of chlamydial conjunctivitis.A meta-analysis of the efficacy of ocular prophylactic agents used for the prevention of gonococcal and chlamydial ophthalmia neonatorum.Is Mandatory Neonatal Eye Prophylaxis Ethically Justified? A Case Study from Canada Eye Prophylaxis in the Newborn InfantProphylaxis for Gonococcal and Chlamydial Ophthalmia Neonatorum Disclaimer: The material included on this site is for informational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation. Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®. |
Categories: Eye Drops, Eye Ointment, Eye Prophylaxis, Info Sheet, Information Center, Information Sheet, Neonatal Eye Drops, Neonatal Eye Ointment, Neonatal Eye Prophylaxis
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