Topical ophthalmic antibiotics are mostly prescribed to treat presumed cases of infective conjunctivitis due to pathogenic ambiguity and the belief that bacterial infections require prescription medications. The main disadvantage of this type of prescribing approach is the possible incongruous therapy of viral conjunctivitis with antibiotics, which raises concerns about antibiotic resistance, cost-effectiveness and potential increase of complications as a result of ocular or systemic antibiotic use. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the ophthalmologists and optometrists of Karachi treat a patient when he/she comes with complaints of conjunctivitis. This research is based on a survey. The survey was conducted at five tertiary care hospitals and a number of private clinics located in different regions of Karachi. One hundred fifty four participants (61.6%) told that allergic conjunctivitis was the most common type of conjunctivitis. One hundred ninety four (77.6%) participants were of the opinion that initially no antibiotic should be prescribed to treat conjunctivitis. Thirty eight participants (15.2%) commonly prescribed antibiotics in the form of eye drops, one hundred twenty two participants (48.8%) commonly prescribed antibiotics in the form of eye drops with antihistamines. The ophthalmologists and optometrists of Karachi follow international guidelines to treat conjunctivitis.
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