Topical chloramphenicol was not effective for acute infective conjunctivitis in children
Q In children with acute infective conjunctivitis, is topical chloramphenicol effective for inducing clinical cure?
METHODS
Design:
randomised controlled trial.
Allocation:
concealed.
Blinding:
blinded (patients, healthcare providers, data collectors, outcome assessors, and data analysts).
Follow up period:
7 days for the primary outcome plus an extra 5 weeks to assess relapse.
Setting:
12 primary practices in Oxfordshire, UK.
Patients:
326 children 6 months to 12 years of age (mean age 3 y, 53% boys) who had acute infective conjunctivitis. Exclusion criteria included allergy to chloramphenicol, use of antibiotics (current or within the previous 48 h), evidence of severe infection, and children who were immunocompromised.
Intervention:
0.5% chloramphenicol (preservation-free eye drops BP)(n = 163) or placebo (distilled water with the excipients boric acid, 1.5%, and borax, 0.3%)(n = 163). Parents were …
