Tobradex
Tobradex is a bottled eye drop that combines tobramycin 0.3% with dexamethasone 0.1% for inflamed eyes that also have a bacterial infection.
- Category
- Eye Care
- Active ingredient
- Dexamethasone · Tobramycin
- Route
- Ophthalmic
- Form
- Eye Drops, Ointment
- Strengths
- 0.1/0.3%
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Ocular inflammation with infection risk
- Brands with the same ingredient
- Tobramycin/Dexamethasone
- Therapeutic Class
- Antibiotic and Corticosteroid combination
- Pharmacological Class
- Aminoglycoside/Corticosteroid
- Minor Side Effects
- Stinging, Itching
- Moderate Side Effects
- Increased intraocular pressure, Blurred vision
- Dosage Forms
- Eye Drops, Ointment
- Administration Route
- Ophthalmic
- Originator
- Alcon
- Onset Time
- Fast
- Duration
- 4–6 hours
- Storage Instructions
- Store at room temperature.
What you will receive
Tobradex is the originator brand name, made by Alcon. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Tobradex.
- The same active ingredient (Dexamethasone / Tobramycin) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Can I buy Tobradex as single bottles?
Yes, one bottle at a time, or packs of two to five. Each holds 0.1/0.3% drops of generic tobramycin with dexamethasone rather than the original Tobradex, and a bottle costs less in the bigger packs.
How quickly can Tobradex reach Hong Kong?
By tracked courier, 5 to 9 business days, and you can follow it online. Standard airmail is 14 to 21 business days without tracking. Either way the box is plain, and live chat in English or Cantonese is open around the clock if you need to ask.
What does the 0.1/0.3% on the Tobradex label mean?
The first number is dexamethasone at 0.1% and the second is tobramycin at 0.3% — the usual strengths for both in eye products. So a millilitre of the suspension holds a small amount of steroid together with the antibiotic.
How long can I keep an opened Tobradex bottle?
About four weeks. Once the dropper tip has been in contact with the eye and air, the preservative's protection fades and bacteria can survive in the liquid, so a part-used bottle is thrown away a month after opening even if the printed expiry date is later.
Can I wear contact lenses while using Tobradex?
Take the lenses out before each dose and leave them out for around fifteen minutes afterwards so the drop is not trapped underneath. Soft lenses are best kept out altogether while an eye is infected, since they can hold bacteria against the surface.
Can Tobradex be used for allergic conjunctivitis?
The steroid part would ease the itch and swelling of an allergy, but tobramycin only acts on bacteria, so it adds nothing when there is no infection. Drops containing only the steroid are used for allergic eye inflammation instead.
Can I use artificial tears or another eye drop with Tobradex?
Yes. Space different eye drops about five minutes apart so the second one does not wash the first off the eye. That gap applies to lubricating drops, allergy drops and anything else going into the same eye.
About Tobradex
An antibiotic and a steroid in one bottle
Tobradex is a 0.1/0.3% eye drop suspension supplied in bottles. Tobramycin, the antibiotic in it, belongs to the aminoglycoside group and works by stopping bacteria from building the proteins they need to multiply. Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid: it acts on the eye's own inflammatory response, easing redness, soreness and swelling. The two are combined for an eye that is inflamed and infected, or inflamed with a real risk of infection.
When it is used
Eye surgery is the commonest setting: the surface is raw and vulnerable afterwards. So are chemical splashes, a scratch on the cornea, and conjunctivitis where the eye is very red and sticky. Long-running anterior uveitis (inflammation of the front of the eye) is another. A steroid alone would leave bacteria unchecked; an antibiotic alone would leave the soreness and swelling behind.
Putting the drops in
Shake the bottle first — the medicine settles when it stands. The usual dose is one or two drops into the affected eye every four to six hours. Tip your head back so you are looking at the ceiling, draw the lower lid away from the eyeball to form a pocket, and let the drop fall into it. Keep the dropper tip clear of the eye, lashes and skin, then let the lid shut for a moment and blot any overflow. Screw the cap back on and store the bottle out of sunlight.
What the drops can cause
Watering, stinging, itchiness or a brief blur straight after a drop are common and pass. The steroid is the part to watch over a long course: it can push up the pressure inside the eye, often with nothing to feel, and can bring on cataract (clouding of the lens). Steroids also quieten the eye's local defences, so this pair is avoided where the infection is herpetic (herpes simplex of the eye) or fungal. A swollen face or throat, a rash that spreads, or trouble breathing after a dose is an emergency.
Drops or the tube?
The same pair, at the same strengths, also comes as an ointment in tubes: Tobramycin And Dexamethasone. An ointment forms a film that stays on the eye longer, which suits use at bedtime, but sight stays misty for a while after each application. Drops are simpler during the day and better when the eye needs frequent treatment.
Sources
- Tobramycin Ophthalmic: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Ciprofloxacin and Dexamethasone Otic: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / National Library of Medicine