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Topical antibiotics offer no additive benefit to povidone-iodine before intravitreal injections
Ophthalmology. 2009;116(8):1498-1501.
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Topical antibiotics offer little or no additive benefit to povidone-iodine as prophylactic therapy for patients scheduled to receive an intravitreal injection, according to a study.
The study prospectively followed 129 patients undergoing 273 intravitreal injections. In the study, patients were randomized to instill gatifloxacin four times a day for 3 days before 137 intravitreal injections; patients did not have antibiotics before 136 injections.
On the day of their surgery, all patients received one drop of proparacaine 0.5% (Akorn), one drop of tropicamide 1% (Akorn) and one drop of phenylephrine 2.5% (Akorn) followed by lidocaine jelly. Povidone-iodine was used as a drop in the treatment eye and in swabs to coat the eyelid, lashes and conjunctiva.
Use of antibiotics reduced bacterial cultures before the use of povidone-iodine compared with patients who did not use the topical drops (21% vs. 48%, respectively; P = .005); however, there was no statistical difference in eyes with a positive bacterial culture between the two groups after use of povidone-iodine.