Don’t Inject Vancomycin After Cataract Surgery, FDA Says

The FDA warned ophthalmologists against injecting vancomycin as an anti-bacterial agent into the eyes of patients after cataract surgery.

The FDA issued a warning Oct. 3 specifically for compounded formulations of vancomycin, triamcinolone and moxifloxacin. The previous week, the agency added to labels for vancomycin a warning about the risk of patients developing hemorrhagic occlusive retinal vasculitis (HOCV), which can lead to blindness, after receiving vancomycin injections.  Labeling of compounded drugs is not regulated by the FDA.

The injections are intended to prevent endophthalmitis, a bacterial inflammation of the interior of the eye that is a potential complication of surgery. That indication is not approved by the FDA, which has received adverse-event reports of HOCV onset post-injection.