An outbreak of conjunctivitis (pink eye) has occurred in Hanoi, causing eye drops to sell out quickly.

Công Luận•26/09/2023

Eye drops are increasing in price and becoming scarce.

Over the past two months, an outbreak of conjunctivitis (pink eye) has occurred and is becoming increasingly complex, especially in major cities such as Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang.

In response to this situation, many people have been buying eye drops to treat conjunctivitis on their own. Out of fear, many have been stockpiling them as a precaution. This has led to a shortage of eye drops, with many experiencing price increases.

Headache and eye pain in Hanoi, sudden onset of symptoms, eye drops causing runny nose (Figure 1) — Customers are looking to buy medication to prevent conjunctivitis (pink eye).

According to a survey conducted by reporters at numerous pharmacies in Hanoi, over the past month, conjunctivitis medication has been sold in large quantities due to increasing demand from the public. Some pharmacies do not have enough stock to sell to customers.

Staff at Tuan Khang Pharmacy (Cau Giay, Hanoi) said that popular eye drops like Tobrex and Tobrin have been out of stock for the past two days. Currently, less common eye drops are still available, but in limited quantities. In addition, other medications for this condition are also out of stock.

Due to high demand from the public, some pharmacies have increased the prices of eye drops. For popular eye drop brands, the price has increased by 10,000 to 20,000 VND per product.

Specifically, the price of Tobrex eye drops increased from 55,000 VND/bottle to 65,000-70,000 VND/bottle, Tobrin increased from 45,000 VND/bottle to 60,000 VND/bottle, and Oflovid increased from 60,000 VND/bottle to 80,000 VND/bottle.

In addition, many people are also looking to buy products to treat conjunctivitis, such as 0.9% sodium chloride saline solution and Laci-Eye eye drops.

"When the outbreak occurred, the consumption of products used to treat conjunctivitis doubled or tripled compared to before. Because input costs increased, we also raised our selling prices. Many people even hoarded goods to inflate prices on online platforms, making these items even scarcer," shared an employee at a pharmacy in Xã Đàn (Đống Đa, Hanoi).

Explaining this situation, Dr. Tran Hai Dong, Head of the Pharmacy Department at Thien Thanh Eye Hospital, said that the reason for this year's drug shortage is due to a lack of raw materials for production worldwide , mainly the antibiotic Ofloxacin. However, domestically, there is a proliferation of new production batches of unknown origin, disrupting the eye drop market with counterfeit and smuggled goods.

Notes on treating conjunctivitis (pink eye)

According to Dr. Tran Hai Dong, many people make mistakes in treating conjunctivitis, leading to more severe complications. In particular, self-treatment and the indiscriminate use of antibiotics can progress to keratitis, causing vision loss or even blindness.

The red eye disease outbreak in Hanoi, with the onset of symptoms after using eye drops, is a serious condition (Figure 2). — Imported eye drops are in high demand.

Regarding the use of antibiotics to alleviate uncomfortable symptoms of conjunctivitis, Dr. Tran Hai Dong stated that for eye diseases, oral antibiotics are often ineffective because they have difficulty penetrating the blood-eye barrier. Therefore, taking antibiotics is not the best option when suffering from this condition.

Furthermore, many people have a habit of self-medicating by using prescriptions intended for others. However, each patient responds differently to treatment; some may respond well to one type of medication but be resistant to another, so careful monitoring by ophthalmologists is essential.

Once the redness and inflammation subside, many people tend to neglect eye care. However, even though the symptoms have lessened, it doesn't mean the conjunctiva and cornea have healed.

Continuing to use eye drops for about 1-2 months is necessary to prevent dry eyes and minimize damage from adverse factors such as foreign objects, wind, or rubbing the eyes, which could lead to recurrence.

Eye gels and ointments such as Hylo Night, Hydramed Night, Farvis Gel, Eyegel Plus… are essential for soothing and repairing damage, so they should be combined with a daytime liquid ointment to accelerate the recovery of the conjunctiva and cornea.

Text and photos: Nguyen Linh

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