Repeated exposure of the eye to ophthalmic antibiotics appears to be associated with the emergence of resistant strains of microbes among patients undergoing intraocular injection therapy for neovascular retinal disease, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. According to background information in the article, more than 8 million people in the United States are affected by age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness among individuals older than 65 years in this country. Treating the neovascular or “wet” form of the disease involves monthly injections of medication into the eye; this treatment is also being studied for eye problems related to diabetes and retina vein occlusions (obstructions of veins carrying blood from the retina).
