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Systemic side effects of eye drops: a pharmacokinetic perspective
Authors Farkouh A, Frigo P, Czejka M
Received 28 July 2016
Accepted for publication 15 September 2016
Published 7 December 2016 Volume 2016:10 Pages 2433—2441
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S118409
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 2
Editor who approved publication: Dr Scott Fraser
Andre Farkouh,1 Peter Frigo,2 Martin Czejka1,3
1Division of Clinical Pharmacy and Diagnostics, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, 2Department of Gynecologic Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, 3Austrian Society of Applied Pharmacokinetics, Vienna, Austria
Abstract: When administering eye drops, even when completely correctly applied, several routes of absorption are possible and excess amounts can sometimes cause an unwanted systemic bioavailability of the drops when not completely absorbed into the eye. Furthermore, the concentration of active ingredients in such medicinal preparations is usually very high, so that despite the correct application of the recommended dose, considerable amounts may be absorbed in an unwanted manner through various routes. Children are subject to a much higher risk of systemic side effects because ocular dosing is not weight adjusted and physiological development (eg, liver status) differs from that of adults. There is a lack of information about pediatric dosing in the current literature. This review summarizes the most important clinically relevant systemic side effects that may occur during ophthalmic eye treatments. In this review, we discuss general pharmacokinetic considerations as well as the advantages, disadvantages, and consequences of administering drugs from some important drug groups to the eye.
Keywords: pharmacodynamics, CYP, dosing, children
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