Immediate or delayed prescribing of antibiotics reduced duration of symptoms in acute infective conjunctivitis
Q What is the effectiveness of immediate, delayed, or no prescribing of antibiotics for acute infective conjunctivitis?
METHODS
Design:
factorial 3×2×2 randomised controlled trial.
Allocation:
{concealed}.*
Blinding:
unblinded.
Follow up period:
2 weeks.
Setting:
30 general practices in the UK.
Patients:
307 adults and children ⩾1 year of age (mean age 28 y, 57% women and girls) with acute infective conjunctivitis. Exclusion criteria were systemic unwellness requiring oral antibiotics, recent antibiotic use, chronic infective eye disease, recent eye surgery, or allergy to chloramphenicol.
Intervention:
immediate prescription of antibiotics (chloramphenicol eye drops every 2 h for 2 d, then 4 times/d) (n = 104), delayed prescription of antibiotics (collection of prescription from the general practitioner after 3 d at patients’ or parents’ discretion) (n = 109), or no antibiotics (could receive treatment in …
