Aciclovir Eye Ointment: Dosing and Precautions
Aciclovir eye ointment guidance for herpes keratitis and neonatal prevention when maternal genital herpes is present at childbirth.
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Source reviewed
source date listed on the source page
Guide category
Drugs for external use and antiseptics
Safety boundary
Prescription medicine information for clinician-guided use.
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Therapeutic action
Antiviral active against herpes virus.
Indications
- Treatment of herpes keratitis.
- Prevention of herpes keratitis in a neonate born to a mother suffering from genital herpes at the moment of childbirth.
Forms and strengths
3% ointment, tube.
Dose and duration
Treatment of herpes keratitis
- Child and adult: one application 5 times daily into the conjunctival sac of both eyes for 14 days or for 3 days after lesions have healed.
Prevention of herpes keratitis in neonate
- Immediately after birth: one single application of aciclovir into the conjunctival sac of both eyes after washing the eyes with sterile 0.9% sodium chloride.
- In neonates, wait 12 hours after application of aciclovir 3% then apply tetracycline eye ointment 1% to prevent gonococcal neonatal conjunctivitis.
Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions
- Use within 30 days after first opening.
Source
MSF Essential drugs practical guidelines (January 2026)
This page combines source-derived medicine reference sections with Kenza editorial context, while leaving out the Storage and Remarks sections from the source batch.
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