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Quixin Uses
If you have a bacterial eye infection, your healthcare provider may prescribe Quixin. This medication is specifically used to treat conjunctivitis ("pink eye") and works by interfering with bacteria's ability to multiply. Children as young as one year old can use Quixin. A healthcare provider may also prescribe this eye drop off-label (for unapproved uses), such as for treating other bacterial eye infections.
Quixin® (levofloxacin ophthalmic solution) is a prescription antibiotic eye drop. It belongs to a group of medications called fluoroquinolones, or "quinolones" for short. Quixin is used to treat a certain type of eye infection called bacterial conjunctivitis.
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation or infection of the conjunctiva, which is the thin membrane that lines the whites of the eyes and the inner eyelids. When the conjunctiva becomes inflamed, it looks pink or red. This is the reason conjunctivitis is commonly referred to as pink eye.
Although conjunctivitis can be extremely uncomfortable, it rarely causes permanent vision loss or eye damage. It is very contagious, however, so prompt medical treatment is important to prevent spreading the infection from one eye to another, or from person to person (see Pink Eye Transmission for more information about how conjunctivitis is spread).
Conjunctivitis can occur in one or both eyes. Common symptoms may include:
- Pinkness or redness in the affected eye(s)
- Eye(s) that are crusted over or "stuck shut" in the morning
- Burning or itching in the eye(s)
- A gritty or sandy feeling in the eye(s)
- Watery or thick, clear or colored eye discharge.
The most common cause of conjunctivitis is an infection, which can be due to a virus or bacteria. Quixin will only treat bacterial conjunctivitis. It will not cure a viral infection.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD