Abstract
Background: In ophthalmology practice, rational prescribing plays a crucial role in reducing ocular disease burden. There is an increase in resistance and limited availability of newer antimicrobial agents, there is a need of vigilant surveillance.

Aims and Objectives: This study aims to analyze the prescription of antibiotics used for infectious diseases in ophthalmology outpatient department (OPD).

Materials and Methods: After taking approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee, a prospective observational study was conducted in the OPD of ophthalmology at tertiary care hospital, Vijaynagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Ballari, for a period of 4 months (October 2018–January 2019). Prescriptions of 900 patients treated during the study period were audited prospectively using a specially designed case recording form and details of prescribed drugs were recorded. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: Majority of the patients belong to the age group of 31–60 years with male preponderance (58%). Total drugs prescribed were 2360 in that antibiotics were 1400, with an average number of antibiotics per prescription being 1.55. The most common disorders diagnosed were conjunctivitis (34%) followed by dacryocystitis, blepharitis, and others. Eye drops being the most commonly (69%) prescribed dosage form. Prescription of antibiotics showed that fluoroquinolones (87%) were most commonly prescribed followed by aminoglycosides (21%) and β-lactam antibiotics (28%). Among them, gatifloxacin (27%) was most common followed by ciprofloxacin (21%), ofloxacin, moxifloxacin, tobramycin and chloramphenicol, and others. About 70% of antibiotics prescribed from the WHO Essential Medicines List-2017 list and 59% were from National List of Essential Medicines-2015 and two-drug therapy (44%) was used commonly prescribed.

Conclusion: Although the prescription errors were less, there is a lack of use of generic names. Polypharmacy was not common in the department. In an era of rapidly developing antibiotic resistance, our findings may help to improve the practice of rational drug prescription and patient care.

Key words: Antibiotics; Prescription Pattern; Ophthalmology; Polypharmacy