What your patient might ask you.
A retrospective study of 65 patients with suspected allergic dermatitis of the eyelids was published in Contact Dermatitis.
The researchers found positive patch tests to ophthalmic medications in 67.7% of patients.
Most positive reactions were associated with active ingredients, especially aminoglycoside antibiotics, followed by excipients, such as sodium metabisulfite.
There were also positive reactions to topical products tested “as is,” meaning not separating out drug versus excipient, mostly containing beta-blockers, but only five of these reacted to the active ingredient.
The study also concluded that patients who developed contact dermatitis from eye drops tended to be of older age.