Conjunctivitis: Can antibiotics help?

Photo of a woman using eye drops

Simple cases of conjunctivitis often clear up within ten days, even without any treatment. If the conjunctivitis is caused by , antibiotic eye drops or creams can help make it go away a bit faster. If it's caused by a , don't help.

Conjunctivitis is often caused by germs such as viruses or bacteria. The symptoms of viral and bacterial conjunctivitis are very similar, making it difficult to tell them apart. Doctors generally don't test to see which germs are causing the . But many prescribe antibiotic eye drops or creams just in case, even though these medications are only effective against .

Research on antibiotics for treating conjunctivitis

Researchers from England and the Netherlands looked at studies on the treatment of conjunctivitis with . They wanted to find out whether help in the treatment of ordinary conjunctivitis, and what possible disadvantages they might have.

The researchers only analyzed the results of studies that compared at least two groups of people. One group of participants used antibiotic eye drops or creams. Another group used non-antibiotic eye drops or creams.

The researchers only included studies in which the participants were randomly assigned to one of the treatment groups. This kind of study, called a randomized controlled trial, delivers the most reliable results.

The researchers found a total of eleven studies involving nearly 3,700 children and adults.

Antibiotics can speed up recovery

The analysis of the studies shows that acute conjunctivitis goes away somewhat faster when are used. The following results were found for people who went to a family doctor or eye specialist because of conjunctivitis:

In other words, helped to speed up the recovery in 10 out of 100 people within this time.

None of the studies reported on side effects of the antibiotics. They also did not look into whether lower the risk of the spreading.

Sheikh A, Hurwitz B, van Schayck CP et al. Antibiotics versus placebo for acute bacterial conjunctivitis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012; (9): CD001211.

IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health care services.

Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.

Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.

Comment on this page

What would you like to share with us?

We welcome any feedback and ideas - either via our form or by gi-kontakt@iqwig.de. We will review, but not publish, your ratings and comments. Your information will of course be treated confidentially. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required fields.

Please note that we do not provide individual advice on matters of health. You can read about where to find help and support in Germany in our information “How can I find self-help groups and information centers?

Über diese Seite

Updated on December 8, 2021

Next planned update: 2024

Publisher:

Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany)

How we keep you informed

Follow us on Twitter or subscribe to our newsletter or newsfeed. You can find all of our films online on YouTube.