About Chloramphenicol

Chloramphenicol is an antibiotic medicine.

It works by stopping bacteria from growing and spreading.

It's used to treat eye infections, such as conjunctivitis, and ear infections.

For eye infections, chloramphenicol comes as eye drops or eye ointment. These are available to buy from pharmacies or on prescription if required.

For ear infections, it comes as ear drops. These are only available on prescription.

Chloramphenicol can also be given as an injection or as capsules. These treatments are for serious infections and are usually given in hospital.

Key facts

• For most eye infections, you should notice an improvement within 2 days of using chloramphenicol.
• For ear infections, you should begin to feel better after a few days.
• Your eyes may sting for a short time after using the eye drops or ointment. The ear drops may cause some mild discomfort for a few minutes after using them.
• If your eyes sting after using this medicine, do not drive, cycle or use machinery or tools straight away. Wait until your eyes feel OK again and your vision is clear.
• Do not wear contact lenses while you're using chloramphenicol eye drops or ointment. If you wear soft contact lenses, do not start wearing them for at least 24 hours after you have finished the eye ointment.

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