When should acute nonvenereal conjunctivitis be treated with topical antibiotics?

Abstract

Children with suspected or culture-proven acute nonvenereal bacterial conjunctivitis should be treated with topical antibiotics, which hastens clinical and microbiological remission and may prevent potentially serious morbidity. In light of recent evidence regarding the self-limiting nature of conjunctivitis in adults and the development of antibiotic resistance, a "wait-and-see"� approach with careful follow-up may be reasonable for adults, but this approach has not been evaluated. (Grade of recommendation: C, based on extrapolation from systematic reviews of specialty clinic trials and cohort studies.)