# Antibiotic eye drops

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibiotic-eye-drops/671010>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 11, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibiotic-eye-drops/671010 "2013-10-11T18:42:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibiotic-eye-drops/671010/1 "2013-10-11T18:42:35Z")

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I am suffering from some type of conjunctivitis at the moment and I am dosing the eyes with these drops.

What is the effect on the rest of the organism? Is it in any way similar to taking antibiotics orally?

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**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibiotic-eye-drops/671010/2 "2013-10-11T19:03:38Z")

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Not unless you’re swallowing them as well as putting them in your eyes. They should only be killing stuff where the liquid touches. I suppose that a tiny bit of the liquid will be draining through your tear ducts down into your digestive system, but that would be such a small amount that it wouldn’t have any effect.

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**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibiotic-eye-drops/671010/3 "2013-10-11T19:35:15Z")

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> [@Smeghead](#):
>
> Not unless you’re swallowing them as well as putting them in your eyes. They should only be killing stuff where the liquid touches. I suppose that a tiny bit of the liquid will be draining through your tear ducts down into your digestive system, but that would be such a small amount that it wouldn’t have any effect.

thanks