United States: Data also reveals that doctors are prescribing antibiotics to youths who have bacterial conjunctivitis, popularly referred to as pink eye, to which the medical profession strictly proscribed, said researchers on Thursday.
More about the news
Their study reveals that the majority of US children and adolescents who visited a doctor for a diagnosis of pink eye were prescribed antibiotics in the form of eye drops.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology’s guidelines are that doctors should not recommend antibiotics for what is also known as bacterial conjunctivitis because the condition is usually self-limiting as NBC News pointed out.
Antibiotics do not work on viruses
Specifically, antibiotics are ineffective for handling viruses, which are the leading cause of pink eye. Even minor kinds of eye infections linked to bacteria do not necessarily need medical intervention because they become curable on their own in the majority of cases, according to the medical group.
Know more about Pink Eye infection
Pink eye is highly inflammatory and infectious in nature. It results in redness of the eyes, and in some cases, the eyes may become swollen and itchy.
Sometimes, cold, wet towels and artificial tears can manage the condition effectively. On other occasions, one would need to use an eye drop that contains antibiotics and anti-inflammatory substances.
Pink eye is highly contagious and causes red, swollen, and sometimes itchy eyes. Often, a chilled, wet towel and artificial tears are enough to ease symptoms, as NBC News reported.
Know more about the research
In their research, investigators applied a nationwide population-based database of insurance claims from 2021. Taking a closer look, 45,000 children got cared for at a doctor’s office, an eye clinic, or the emergency room for pink eye, and 69 percent were given antibiotics, which are available in the form of drops and ointments.
In any case, patients come back to the doctor for a pink eye only occasionally: return visits were below 4 percent in both groups, as the research published Thursday in the JAMA Ophthalmology Journal highlighted.
Patient groups dispensed antibiotics to the most, 72 percent of patients, while emergency departments distributed antibiotics to 57 percent of patients and eye clinics to 34 percent.
Maybe it is because eye clinics know what is really causing pink eye and can treat it based on that, stated Dr. Rupa Wong, a pediatric eye doctor at Honolulu Eye Clinic and a spokesperson for the ophthalmological group.
What more are the experts stating?
According to Dr. Daniel Shapiro, a pediatric emergency doctor and co-author of the study, “The eye looks red and nasty, and so it’s pretty striking and scary,” as NBC News reported.
Moreover, according to Wong, antibiotics must not be overused, which anyway is not going to help either in viral infections.
However, the study didn’t explain further the specific and detailed reason for prescribing antibiotics and their outcome.
Wong added, “There are more supportive measures we can take to make your child feel comfortable without resorting to antibiotic eye drops.”