Patients also suffer less discomfort from the new treatment than from the standard therapy.
O'Brien is the principal investigator and lead author of the paper, published in the October issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. Ofloxacin, is already used for conjunctivitis, an infection of the lining of the eye. The heavy concentration is needed to penetrate into the cornea and achieve high drug levels there. But the mixtures can be too strong, too weak, or even be accidentally contaminated by germs, according to O'Brien. However, the ofloxacin solution is prepackaged in the correct concentration, making it easier to use and less likely to be contaminated.