Doctors are prescribing antibiotics to most children and teens with conjunctivitis, even though guidelines recommend against their use, the researchers reported Thursday.
Studies have shown that more than two-thirds of American children and teens who go to the doctor for conjunctivitis are sent home with a prescription for antibiotic eye drops. American Academy of Ophthalmology The condition, also known as conjunctivitis, usually goes away on its own, so doctors recommend against routinely administering antibiotics.
Antibiotics have no effect on viruses, the most common cause of conjunctivitis, and most mild bacterial eye infections will go away on their own, medical groups say.
Conjunctivitis is highly contagious and causes red, swollen, and sometimes itchy eyes, but can often be soothed with cool, wet wipes and artificial tears.
For their research, The researchers used a nationwide insurance claims database from 2021. Nearly 45,000 children were treated for conjunctivitis at doctor’s offices, eye clinics or emergency rooms, and 69% were prescribed antibiotics, which came in the form of eye drops or ointment.
A study published Thursday in JAMA Ophthalmology found that conjunctivitis rarely led to a return visit to the doctor — fewer than 4 percent — regardless of whether the patient received treatment.
Doctor’s offices were most likely to prescribe antibiotics, prescribing them to 72% of patients, compared with 57% in emergency departments and 34% in eye clinics.
Dr. Rupa Wong, a pediatric ophthalmologist at Honolulu Eye Clinic and spokesperson for the ophthalmology group, said that may be because eye clinics have the tools to determine the actual cause of conjunctivitis and treat it accordingly.
Dr. Daniel Shapiro, a pediatric emergency physician and co-author of the study, said it’s understandable that parents might be worried when their child has an infection.
“Their eyes are red and creepy looking, so they’re pretty striking and scary,” said Shapiro, of the University of California, San Francisco.
But antibiotics shouldn’t be overused if they’re not effective, he said.
The study didn’t go into detail about why antibiotics were prescribed or the outcomes, but the fact that there were so few return visits in either case suggests that not getting a prescription doesn’t put patients at higher risk of complications or serious problems, Wong said.
“There are other ways you can help your child feel comfortable without relying on antibiotic eye drops,” Wong says.
