On the other hand, posterior blepharitis, or meibomian gland disease, typically requires something different. The jelly keeps wounds from drying out, which can prevent or ease itching and other unpleasant symptoms.Beyond creams and ointments, it is important to keep wounds clean. Once diagnosed you launched into your script: “Blepharitis is caused by an overgrowth of naturally occurring bacteria on our eyelids. Staying with my “back to basics” theme after returning from my all-too-short summer sojourn at the beach, I thought it appropriate to talk about one of the most fundamental problems we face when treating dry eye syndrome and ocular surface disease: blepharitis. Is improvement due to a change in the bacterial flora, or is some other effect on the meibomian gland secretions responsible? How about the effect we see on patients with DES, specifically those people we now diagnose with dysfunctional tear syndrome or evaporative dry eye?
Neither preparation is strong enough to treat a serious skin infection or any systemic infection.Deep wounds may require additional treatment, including stitches, oral antibiotics, or vaccinations against diseases such as Do not consume either ointment or use it as a substitute for medical care.Because both types of ointment contain bacitracin, the benefits and risks are similar.The benefits of using Neosporin or bacitracin-only ointment include:The risks of using any product that contains bacitracin include:No large studies have assessed whether bacitracin ointment or Neosporin is safe to use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.Petroleum jelly products, such as Vaseline, can be good alternatives to bacitracin or Neosporin. Pretty much every patient with either anterior or posterior blepharitis will still benefit from your grandmother’s wisdom by instituting some sort of heat therapy (dry or wet) and meticulous lid hygiene. Think back to how you diagnosed and treated blepharitis.
This, too, should still be a part of our basic blepharitis treatment armamentarium because it is cheap and effective. All rights reserved. Many patients will do well with a twice-a-week regimen; those whose condition is controlled with once-a-week therapy probably do not need the medication. Mupirocin is a topical antibiotic that is used to treat impetigo (a bacterial infection that involves the superficial skin) and other skin infections caused by bacteria. This brings us to our present-day treatment paradigm for blepharitis. • Neosporin neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates and bacitracin zinc ophthalmic ointment, USP (Burroughs Wellcome Inc.) MACROLIDES: • Ilotycin erythromycin ophthalmic ointment, USP (Eli Lilly & Co) • Azasite azithromycin ophthalmic solution 1% (Inspire) POLYPEPTIDES: • AK-Tracin (Akorn, inc.) • Ocu-Tracin (Ocumed Inc.)
At SkyVision, we strongly favor treating localized ocular disease with localized medication whenever possible, so we add AzaSite if conservative treatment is insufficient: one drop either on the eye or massaged into the lid margin at bedtime for 2 weeks, then decreased to every other night until follow-up exam. If you stop using ophthalmic bacitracin too soon, your infection may not be completely cured and the bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics. Bacitracin and chloramphenicol demonstrated good in vitro activity against gram-positive organisms. It causes redness and irritation and sometimes blocks the openings of the oil glands in your lids. But when you write a prescription, be sure to remember that both doxycycline and minocycline are, indeed, systemic medications and that they have both systemic side effects and drug interactions with some rather common medications.
This means that Neosporin offers broader antibiotic coverage that may fight more types of bacteria.However, no recent research has directly compared Neosporin to bacitracin-only ointment, so it is unclear whether one is safer or more effective than the other.Doctors have used bacitracin and ointments containing it since Bacitracin and Neosporin ointments have similar uses, including:Both ointments are for mild and uncomplicated injuries, such as minor burns, scrapes, and cuts. Remember Maxitrol (neomycin, polymyxin B sulfates and dexamethasone ophthalmic suspension, Alcon)? Most of us were taught to start with an antibiotic ointment applied to the lid margins and just inside the lower lid at bedtime.