Tennessee State Law requires newborns to receive prophylaxis against gonococcal ophthalmic infection. Vanderbilt uses 0.5% erythromycin ophthalmic ointment (Ilotycin) for this purpose.

Instructions to apply Ilotycin are included in standing admission orders, and single dose Ilotycin tubes are kept in the NICU. Prior to applying Ilotycin, nurses should ask the physician to examine the infant’s red reflexes; ophthalmoscopic exam should not delay Ilotycin administration more than 5 minutes. Ilotycin should be applied before the infant is one hour old.

Procedure: A thin line of ointment approximately 0.5 to 1 cm in length should be instilled into each conjunctival sac. The ointment should not be flushed from the eye following application. A new tube should be used for each infant.

Extremely premature infants whose eyelids are still fused should have Ilotycin applied along the line of fusion after delivery. Application does not need to be repeated when the infant’s eyes open.