E is for Erythromycin

E is for Erythromycin

The gel that nurses or doctors put in your baby’s eyes after birth is call Erythromycin Ointment, although some simply refer to it as “the eye goo”.  Erythromycin along with a Vitamin K shot, and Hepatitis B vaccine are routinely given to baby’s shortly after birth.  It is recommended to give the ointment to babies within 24 hours after birth to prevent ophthalmia neonatorum, commonly known as pink eye, which in severe cases can cause blindness.  Pink eye in newborns is much more serious than the infection is in adults.  The previous treatment was silver nitrate drops; thankfully they no longer use this method of treatment…

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