Antibiotic in the eye ointment
Due to their bactericidal properties, antibiotic eye ointments kill the pathogens. Antibiotic eye ointments are used when there is an eye infection and a bacterial infection. In this case a medical diagnosis should be made beforehand to justify the antibiotic treatment.
The use of an ointment containing antibiotics only makes sense if it is a matter of superficial inflammation of the conjunctiva or cornea. Otherwise, therapy with tablets must be resorted to. The typical active ingredients of antibiotic eye ointments include
- Gentamicin
- Ciprofloxacin
- Ofloxacin
- Tetracycline (inflammation of the eye due to chlamydia infection)
Cortisone in eye ointments
Cortisone is an active substance from the group of glucocorticoids and has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects, but it also suppresses the immune system. Hydrocortisone (chemically dissolved as hydrocortisone acetate), which belongs to the group of lighter glucocorticoids, is usually used in eye ointments. Due to its immunosuppressive effect, it should never be used for infectious eye diseases (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.
), as it weakens the body’s own defenses locally and can thus aggravate the disease. However, there are combination preparations for bacterial infections made from antibiotics and cortisone, where the anti-inflammatory effect is the main focus. In general, cortisone can be used for non-infectious inflammation of the eye of all kinds. Cortisone ointment is also used for severe hay fever, also in combination with eye drops containing chromoglycic acid, to relieve the symptoms and bring the inflammation under control. However, cortisone should never be used for too long, as it can cause side effects such as increased intraocular pressure, dry eyes or secondary infections of the eye after only a few weeks.
Eye ointments without wool wax
Woolwax is a substance derived from the wool of the sheep. Another name for wool wax is lanolin. It is a popular ingredient in many skin care products and is also contained in many eye ointments.
The problem is that many people suffer from an allergy to wool wax and therefore, when using eye ointments containing wool wax components, redness, itching or burning of the eyes can occur. Those affected should consult their ophthalmologist or pharmacist in case of an allergy and use ointments without wool wax. An example of this is the Panthenol eye ointment with the active ingredient dexpanthenol.
Eye ointment without preservatives
Eye ointments differ mainly in the viscosity of eye drops. As a result, the ointments remain on the surface of the eye much longer than the liquid drops. This makes it even more important to make sure that eye ointments do not contain any harmful ingredients.
Especially preservatives have to be used carefully. They can have a negative effect on the eye surface by changing the tear film, which can lead to complaints in the eye area. So instead of relieving symptoms, the use of ointments containing preservatives can cause damage to the cornea and conjunctiva. It is therefore important to make sure that you use preservative-free eye ointments. Examples are Posiformin 2% eye ointment or VitA-POS eye ointment which are free of these ingredients.
