What drug treatments should I prescribe for a person with seasonal or perennial conjunctivitis?
• Before treating a person with seasonal or perennial allergic conjunctivitis, you must exclude the serious causes of a red eye that can result in permanent visual impairment. For further information, see Diagnosing allergic conjunctivitis. • When rapid relief of symptoms is required, prescribe an oral or topical ocular antihistamine, depending on the person’s preference and previous response to treatment. • When prolonged control of symptoms is required, prescribe an oral antihistamine, topical ocular antihistamine, or a topical ocular mast cell stabilizer, depending on the person’s preference and previous response to treatment. • When a topical ocular mast cell stabilizer is prescribed long term, also prescribe an oral antihistamine, or a topical ocular antihistamine if: • Symptom control is needed in the first few weeks while waiting for the mast cell stabilizer to take effect. • Breakthrough symptoms occur. • When symptoms persist despite treatment with an antihistamine and a mast
