Topical antibiotic drops or ointment (e.g. chloromycetin) or povidone-iodine drops are used for a few days. If there is marked swelling of the eyelids, give intramuscular ceftriaxone daily for 3 days.
1% chloromycetin eye ointment, 1% tetracycline eye ointment or 2.5% povidone-iodine aqueous solution are used to treat bacterial conjunctivitis. Tetracycline and povidone-iodine can also be used to treat conjunctivitis due to Chlamydia.