1 May 2026Drugs for external use and antiseptics

Tetracycline Eye Ointment: Dosing and Precautions

Tetracycline eye-ointment guidance for conjunctivitis, trachoma, and neonatal conjunctivitis prevention.

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Tetracycline eye ointment

Source reviewed

source date listed on the source page

Guide category

Drugs for external use and antiseptics

Safety boundary

Educational medicine information, not personal medical advice.

Kenza Health Hub presents this medicine page as structured health education. Check dose, route, interactions, pregnancy or breast-feeding considerations, and local protocol with a qualified clinician or pharmacist. Read our medical editorial policy.

This guide page is for structured reference only and does not replace a clinician, pharmacist, or emergency review. Dose choice, route choice, interactions, and safety decisions still need professional judgment.

Therapeutic action

Antibacterial.

Indications

Treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis.
Treatment of trachoma.
Prevention of neonatal conjunctivitis.

Forms and strengths

1% ointment, tube.

Dose and duration

Wash the eyes with boiled and cooled water before each application. Use sterile sodium chloride 0.9% for newborns.

Apply tetracycline 1% into the conjunctival sac of both eyes.

Conjunctivitis: one application 2 times daily for 7 days.
Trachoma: one application 2 times daily for 6 weeks.
Prevention of neonatal conjunctivitis: one single application immediately after birth.

Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions

Do not use in patients with hypersensitivity to tetracyclines.
May cause allergic reactions; stop treatment in the event of serious reaction.

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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