Clinical Trial of Eye Prophylaxis in the Newborn

Launched by NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE (NEI) · Sep 23, 1999

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Sexually transmitted diseases are a major cause of neonatal eye infections. All 50 States require some eye treatment at birth to prevent gonorrheal eye infections. Approximately 3 to 4 million Americans acquire a genital chlamydial infection each year, and more than 150,000 infants are born to mothers with chlamydial infections. These infants are at high risk of developing conjunctivitis and pneumonia.

In the State of Washington, one of three treatments is presently required by law to help prevent gonorrheal eye infection in newborn babies: 1 percent silver nitrate drops, erythromycin oint...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• • The study included male and female infants delivered at University Hospital in Seattle, Washington. Women were recruited after the 28th week of pregnancy and had to be English-speaking. In addition, they planned to stay at the hospital at least 48 hours following delivery and lived in the greater Seattle metropolitan area. Infants were eligible whether they were delivered vaginally or by cesarean section. Excluded from the study were siblings of infants enrolled in the study, women who were culture-positive for gonorrhea, infants receiving systemic antimicrobials for reasons other than conjunctivitis, women receiving antimicrobials at the time of delivery, and families unlikely to be available for followup after delivery.