A double-masked randomized study was conducted at four centers to compare the efficacy and safety of
tobramycin and
gentamicin ophthalmic
ointment in the treatment of superficial external
eye disease. Seventy-seven patients with
blepharitis and/or
conjunctivitis were evaluated for safety, and 56 of the 77 individuals also qualified for evaluation of
drug efficacy. After
a 10 day treatment regimen, 97% of the
tobramycin treated patients and 91.3% of the
gentamicin treated patients were clinically cured or improved. Antibacterial effectiveness studies in the conjunctiva showed that
tobramycin eradicated or controlled 87.8% of the
bacterial infections vs. 77.4% for
gentamicin. There was also a 9.3% adverse reaction rate with
tobramycin vs. 17.6% with
gentamicin. Primary symptoms consisted of
erythema, injection, discomfort and
itching. All adverse reactions were mild and cleared upon discontinuation of the study
drug. While the trends seem to favor
tobramycin, no difference was statistically significant at the p less than or equal to 0.05 level. These results indicate that
tobramycin is a clinically effective and safe topical
antibiotic and that it is comparable to
gentamicin for topical treatment of bacterial external
eye infections. It also may be better tolerated than
gentamicin.