<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> Background: Bacterial keratitis is a major devastating ocular condition that quickly deteriorates the patient’s vision. Vigorous and prompt treatment of bacterial keratitis with broad-spectrum antibiotic eye-drops is preferred.Objective: Evaluate the efficacy and safety of 0.5% Levofloxacin for the treatment of suspected and cultureproven cases of infectious bacterial keratitis in comparison to fortified Cefazolin and Amikacin ophthalmic solution.Materials and methods: Seventy-one eyes from 69 patients suspected of having infectious bacterial keratitis were enrolled in the study. The patients were randomized into two arms, 0.5% Levofloxacin eye drops (34 eyes) or fortified Cefazolin and Amikacin (37 eyes). Sixty-eight eyes were included in the efficacy analysis. During treatment, on days 2, 7, 14, and 21, the patient’s symptoms and signs were scored from grade 0-3 (absent to severe).Results: At the end of the treatment, 61 out of 71 eyes completely healed. The resolution of the keratitis was not significantly different between both groups. There were no significant differences in the mean time-duration for the ulcer to heal or for the symptoms and clinical signs to disappear between the two groups. No serious adverse events or side effects from the disease were found. The patients compliance was 80% based on the self-reported diaries.Conclusion: The efficacy and safety of 0.5% topical Levofloxacin was comparable to fortified Cefazolin and Amikacin for the treatment of mild-to-moderate bacterial keratitis. Topical Levofloxacin is far superior because of its availability and patient compliance when used as monotherapy for the treatment of infectious bacterial keratitis.</abstract>

Background: Bacterial keratitis is a major devastating ocular condition that quickly deteriorates the patient’s vision. Vigorous and prompt treatment of bacterial keratitis with broad-spectrum antibiotic eye-drops is preferred.Objective: Evaluate the efficacy and safety of 0.5% Levofloxacin for the treatment of suspected and cultureproven cases of infectious bacterial keratitis in comparison to fortified Cefazolin and Amikacin ophthalmic solution.Materials and methods: Seventy-one eyes from 69 patients suspected of having infectious bacterial keratitis were enrolled in the study. The patients were randomized into two arms, 0.5% Levofloxacin eye drops (34 eyes) or fortified Cefazolin and Amikacin (37 eyes). Sixty-eight eyes were included in the efficacy analysis. During treatment, on days 2, 7, 14, and 21, the patient’s symptoms and signs were scored from grade 0-3 (absent to severe).Results: At the end of the treatment, 61 out of 71 eyes completely healed. The resolution of the keratitis was not significantly different between both groups. There were no significant differences in the mean time-duration for the ulcer to heal or for the symptoms and clinical signs to disappear between the two groups. No serious adverse events or side effects from the disease were found. The patients compliance was 80% based on the self-reported diaries.Conclusion: The efficacy and safety of 0.5% topical Levofloxacin was comparable to fortified Cefazolin and Amikacin for the treatment of mild-to-moderate bacterial keratitis. Topical Levofloxacin is far superior because of its availability and patient compliance when used as monotherapy for the treatment of infectious bacterial keratitis.

The efficacy and safety of 0.5% Levofloxacin versus fortified Cefazolin and Amikacin ophthalmic solution for the treatment of suspected and culture-proven cases of infectious bacterial keratitis: a comparative study

MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, 1873 Rama IV Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330,

Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700,

Department of Ophthalmology, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok 10330,

Asian Biomedicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Background: Bacterial keratitis is a major devastating ocular condition that quickly deteriorates the patient’s vision. Vigorous and prompt treatment of...

The efficacy and safety of 0.5% Levofloxacin versus fortified Cefazolin and Amikacin ophthalmic solution for the treatment of suspected and culture-proven cases of infectious bacterial keratitis: a comparative study

Article Category: Original article

Published Online: Feb 04, 2017

Page range: 77 - 83

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5372/1905-7415.0501.009

Keywords
Bacterial keratitis, fluoroquinolone, fortified topical antibiotics, Levofloxacin

© 2017

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The efficacy and safety of 0.5% Levofloxacin versus fortified Cefazolin and Amikacin ophthalmic solution for the treatment of suspected and culture-proven cases of infectious bacterial keratitis: a comparative study

Article Category: Original article

Published Online: Feb 04, 2017

Page range: 77 - 83

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5372/1905-7415.0501.009

KeywordsBacterial keratitis, fluoroquinolone, fortified topical antibiotics, Levofloxacin

© 2017

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Bacterial keratitis, fluoroquinolone, fortified topical antibiotics, Levofloxacin