Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution
Dexamethasone phosphate
Read all of this leaet carefully before you start using this medicine because it contains
important information for you.
- Keep this leaet. You may need to read it again.
- If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
- This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them,
even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side
effects not listed in this leaet. See section .
What is in this leaet
What Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution is and what it is used for
What you need to know before you use Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution
How to use Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution
Possible side effects
How to store Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution
Contents of the pack and other information
What Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution is and what it is used for
Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution contains a substance called dexamethasone. This substance is
a corticosteroid which relieves inammatory symptoms.
This medicine is used for treatment of the inammation of your eye(s).
The eye should not be infected (red eye, secretions, tearing); otherwise a specic treatment of your
infection should be combined (see section ).
What you need to know before you use Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution
Do not use this medicine if you:
• are suffering from an eye infection that you are not using a medicine for
• are suffering from an untreated ocular infection which could be caused by bacteria (acute
purulent infection), fungi, virus (herpetic virus, vaccine virus, varicella zona virus) or
amoeba (a single-celled parasite)
• have damage on the surface of the eye (perforation, ulcerations or injury associated with
incomplete healing)
• have increased ocular pressure known to be caused by corticosteroids
• are allergic to dexamethasone sodium phosphate or any of the other ingredients of this
medicine (listed in section 6).
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using this medicine.
DO NOT INJECT, DO NOT SWALLOW.
Talk to your doctor if you experience swelling and weight gain around the trunk and in the face as
these are usually the rst manifestations of a syndrome called Cushing’s syndrome. Suppression
of the adrenal gland function may develop after stopping a long-term or intensive treatment with
this medicine. Talk to your doctor before stopping the treatment by yourself. These risks are
especially important in children and patients treated with a drug called ritonavir
or cobicistat.
Contact your doctor if you experience blurred vision or other visual disturbances.
Avoid contact between the dispenser tip and the eye or eyelids.
• Close ophthalmic monitoring is required during the use of this medicine in any case and in
particular:
- for children and the elderly. More frequent ophthalmic monitoring is recommended
- if you have an ocular infection. Only use this medicine if the infection is being treated
with an anti-infective treatment
- if you are suffering from a corneal ulcer. Do not use a local dexamethasone treatment
or this medicine, unless inammation is the main cause of delayed healing
- if you suffer from increased intraocular pressure. If you have already experienced
side effects to local corticosteroid treatment, resulting in increased ocular pressure,
you are at risk of developing increased ocular pressure if treated by this medicine
- if you have an eye disease called glaucoma.
• Children: you should avoid continual, long-term treatment.
• Severe allergic conjunctivitis: if you have severe allergic conjunctivitis that fails to
respond to standard treatment, only use this medicine over a short period of time.
• Diabetic: if you are diabetic, inform your ophthalmologist.
• Red eye: if you have a red eye that has not been diagnosed, do not use this medicine.
• Contact lenses: you should avoid wearing contact lenses during treatment with
this medicine.
Other medicines and Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution
If you are using any other medicine to be applied in the eye, you should wait minutes between
each application.
Precipitation of calcium phosphate on the surface of the cornea has been observed during the local
concomitant use of corticosteroids and beta-blockers (a group of medicines used for glaucoma).
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using, have recently used or might use any
other medicines.
Tell your doctor if you are using ritonavir or cobicistat, as this may increase the amount of
dexamethasone in the blood.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
• There is insufcient information on the use of this medicine during pregnancy to evaluate
the potential harmful effects on pregnancy. Therefore the use of this medicine during
pregnancy is not recommended.
• It is not known whether this medicine is excreted in breast milk. However the total dose of
dexamethasone in this medicine is low. Therefore this medicine can be used during
breast-feeding.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby,
ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
Driving and using machines
As with all eye drops, temporary blurred vision, or other eyesight disturbance may affect the ability
to drive or use machines. Do not drive or use machines until normal vision has returned.
How to use Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution
Dose
Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist
if you are not sure.
The recommended dose is drop, to 6 times a day in the affected eye. In severe cases, treatment
can be started with drop every hour and then reduced to drop every hours once a favourable
response has been observed. Gradual dose reduction is recommended in order to avoid relapse.
- In elderly people: there is no need to adjust the dose.
- In children: continual, long-term treatment should be avoided.
Method of administration
Ocular use: this medicine is intended to be administered into the eye.
DO NOT INJECT, DO NOT SWALLOW.
. Wash your hands carefully prior to instillation.
. Look upwards and pull the lower eyelid down with your nger. Put one drop into the eye to
be treated.
. Immediately after you have put the eye drop in, press lightly with your nger on the inside
corner of your eye, nearest your nose for few minutes. This helps to stop the eye drops
spreading into the rest of your body.
. Avoid contact between the tip of the dispenser and the eye or eyelids.
Frequency of administration
to 6 times a day.
Duration of treatment
The duration of treatment usually varies from a few days to a maximum of days.
If you use more Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution than you should
Rinse the eye with sterile water if you have applied too much of the medicine into your eye and
there is prolonged irritation.
Immediately contact your doctor or your pharmacist.
If you forget to use Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution
Do not use a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If you stop using Puradex mg/ml eye drops, solution
Do not stop using this medicine abruptly. Always consult your doctor if you are considering
stopping the treatment.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
If you get any of the following side effects after using this medicine, stop using this medicine and
seek medical advice:
• weakened function of the adrenal gland. If used often, the kidneys may not produce enough
hormones (suppression of cortico-adrenal function). This could be shown by low blood
sugar, dehydration, weight loss and feeling confused about where you are
• high pressure in the eye after weeks of using the drops (generally picked up during a
routine eye test, however symptoms may include eye pain and blurred vision)
• allergic and hypersensitivity reactions (symptoms can include redness, itching or swelling
of the eye)
• eye infections that may not normally happen (opportunistic infections, i.e., infectious
diseases caused by pathogens that usually do not cause disease in people with healthy
immune systems, but infection may occur in people whose immune systems have been
weakened). Symptoms can include redness, pain, swelling around the eye or sensitivity to
bright light
• cloudy patches on the cornea due to calcium build-up during treatment (corneal
calcications)
• corneal ulceration, or perforation which may cause pain, tears, squinting and visual loss
• small holes on the surface of the eye (perforation of the cornea).
Other possible side effects are listed below according to their frequency:
Common (may affect up to in people)
• eye discomfort, irritation, burning, stinging, itching and blurred vision after use. These are
usually mild and do not last long
Uncommon (may affect up to in people)
• delayed eye wound healing
• clouding of the lens in the eye (posterior capsular cataract)
• eye disease caused by the increased pressure in your eye (glaucoma)
• weakened function of adrenal gland if used often, the kidneys may not produce enough
hormones (suppression of cortico-adrenal function). This could be shown by low blood
sugar, dehydration, weight loss and feeling confused about where you are
Package leaet: Information for the user