By God’s grace, my parents learned about this before me and my bothers were born..so we never received this eye ointment at birth and none of us have ever needed glasses or contacts.
Pray fully this will get passed to the right person and parent that is trying to do the very best for their child. 🙂 God bless!
This article is from @naturalmindedmomma & @authentically.julie
So what exactly is erythromycin? Why do we routinely do it in the US? And what does the evidence and even suggestions from “the experts say”?
Well, it may just surprise you a bit.
We encourage you to ask why – at the foundation of informed consent is asking “why do we do ____”? And decide what’s best for yourself.
Some things to consider:
Do you have a std?
Have you been tested for stds in pregnancy?
Have you discussed your personal risk factors for these diseases?
Are you in a monogamous relationship?
As always, the decision is ultimately yours. This is just for educational purposes only.
What we are told it is for:
“After you give birth, a special antibiotic eye ointment is placed on your newborn’s eyes. It helps prevent eye infections. Without it, your baby could lose part or all of their eyesight. The erythromycin eye ointment usually doesn’t cause any problems.”
What it is actually for:
Routinely given to all newborns (to prevent blindness) in the US just in case mom has an active gonorrhea or chlamydia infection at birth, even though mothers are routinely tested for these STD’s during pregnancy.
So is this actually necessary for ‘all’ babies? Knowing this, does it make sense for you to do?
In the past, studies showed that erythromycin is around 80% effective against ophthalmia neonatorum (ON) from gonorrhea and might also offer some protection against ON from chlamydia. The growing problem of antibacterial resistance means that erythromycin is less effective today — and older studies that provided evidence for eye ointment prophylaxis are no longer very relevant. ON can also be cause by other bacteria in the hospital and home environment, viruses (e.g., herpes), chemicals, and blocked tear ducts. There is little evidence to support the mandatory use of erythromycin eye ointment for non-gonorrheal, non-chlamydial bacteria; in fact, some strains of these bacteria have become resistant to erythromycin. Drops of breastmilk, especially colostrum, have been shown to reduce ON from non-gonorrheal, non-chlamydial bacteria and inhibit the growth of gonorrhea and chlamydia on culture plates in the lab.
The only way for a newborn to contract ON from chlamydia or gonorrhea is if the mother has an untreated infection at the time of giving birth. Of newborns born to mothers with untreated gonorrhea, between 1 in 2 to 1 in 3 of them risk developing gonorrheal ON, which carries with it a high risk of blindness. Left untreated, gonorrheal ON can begin to cause vision loss in as little as 24 hours. The risk of a newborn getting chlamydia from an infected mother ranges from 8% to 44%, with the best estimate around 15%. Chlamydia has a low risk of blindness but can still cause eye damage and, rarely, loss of vision if not treated. (Kapoor et al., 2016). Link
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently called for reevaluation state mandates for erythromycin eye ointment (AAP, 2018). Instead, they proposed a strategy of (1) prenatal screening for and treatment of gonorrhea and chlamydia, (2) testing unscreened mothers at the time of birth and treating as needed, (3) counseling parents to bring newborns with pink eye to immediate medical attention, and (4) continuing mandatory reporting of all cases of gonorrheal ON. The AAP recommends that routine erythromycin eye ointment is still appropriate in regions with high rates of gonorrhea and where prenatal screening and treatment is not widely accessible. Similarly, the Canadian Pediatric Society recently recommended that routine, required prophylaxis with erythromycin be stopped (Moore and McDonald, 2015). However, to no surprise nothing has happened.
Some countries use ON prophylaxis, while others have stopped this practice (more modern countries are following):
| Still carry out ON prophylaxis | No longer recommend ON prophylaxis |
| Brazil | Australia |
| Canada* | Belgium |
| France | Denmark |
| Italy | Great Britain |
| Slovenia | The Netherlands |
| Spain | Norway |
| Turkey | Sweden |
| United States | |
| Some areas in Central America |
Risks of Erythromycin:
Prophylactically treating all newborns, regardless of ON status, carries multiple risks. The most common risks include allergic reactions of the skin, rashes, itching, hives, and swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat. Babies can also experience eye pain, redness, irritation, or discharge. Antibiotics can also compromise gut health, which affects the entire body long-term.
Antibiotic resistance is also a major risk factor when using preventative erythromycin for all newborns. According to the insert’s prescribing information, “To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of Erythromycin and other antibacterial drugs, Erythromycin should be used only to treat infections that are proved or strongly suspected to be caused by susceptible bacteria.” Each year, an estimated 2.8 million people in the U.S. develop infections that are resistant to antibiotics, resulting in deaths of more than 35,000 people. This is why it’s important to avoid antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. Link
Mother/Baby Bonding:
Erythromycin can also affect the “Golden Hour” which is the hour directly after giving birth. This time should be spent bonding, establishing breastfeeding, making eye contact, and doing skin-to-skin. This time is crucial to a healthy mother-infant bond. When babies are born, their vision is only from the breast to their mother’s face. Because erythromycin blurs babies’ vision, bonding and breastfeeding are interfered with.
Erythromycin – what are my options?
Erythromycin eye ointment is required by law in many states, but that doesn’t mean you have to comply. Most providers will have you sign a waiver stating that you understand the risks of forgoing erythromycin ointment. However, you may receive backlash or even threats from some providers. Some hospitals may even call Child Protective Services. You are still within your rights as a parent to decline this prophylactic medical treatment for your child. Often times, CPS will open a case and dismiss it quickly because it isn’t worth their time and effort.
I pray you were blessed by this post!
God Bless 🙂
Healing Grace of God 