Fluoroquinolones for the eye

Abstract

Two fluoroquinolone antibiotics, ciprofloxacin (Ciloxan - Alcon) and ofloxacin (Exocin - Allergan), are available in the UK as topical preparations for the eye.* Ciprofloxacin eyedrops are licensed for the treatment of "corneal ulcers and superficial infections of the eye", and ofloxacin eyedrops for "external ocular infections (such as conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctivitis)". In the UK chloramphenicol is commonly recommended as the drug of first choice for the treatment of superficial bacterial eye infections.1,2 Do fluoroquinolone preparations offer any advantage over this or other established drugs?