In the U.S.—

In Canada—

• Antibacterial, ophthalmic

Norfloxacin (nor-FLOX-a-sin) is an antibiotic. The ophthalmic preparation is used to treat infections of the eye.

Norfloxacin is available only with your doctor's prescription, in the following dosage form:

Ophthalmic
• Ophthalmic solution (eye drops) (U.S. and Canada)

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For ophthalmic norfloxacin, the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to norfloxacin or to any related medicines, such as cinoxacin (e.g., Cinobac), ciprofloxacin (e.g., Cipro or Ciloxan), enoxacin (e.g., Penetrax), lomefloxacin (e.g., Maxaquin), nalidixic acid (e.g., NegGram), or ofloxacin (e.g., Floxin or Ocuflox). Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy—Studies have not been done in humans. However, norfloxacin taken by mouth can cause bone problems in young animals. Since it is not known whether ophthalmic norfloxacin can cause bone problems in infants, use is not recommended during pregnancy.

Breast-feeding—It is not known whether ophthalmic norfloxacin passes into the breast milk. Low doses of norfloxacin taken by mouth do not pass into breast milk, but other related medicines do. Also, norfloxacin taken by mouth can cause bone problems in young animals. Since it is not known whether ophthalmic norfloxacin can cause bone problems in infants, use is not recommended in nursing mothers.

Children—Use is not recommended in infants and children up to 1 year of age. Norfloxacin taken by mouth has been shown to cause bone problems in young animals. It is not known whether ophthalmic norfloxacin can cause bone problems in infants. In children 1 year of age and older, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults.

Older adults—Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of ophthalmic norfloxacin in the elderly with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines—Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are taking or using any prescription or nonprescription (over -the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

To use:

• First, wash your hands. Tilt the head back and with the index finger of one hand, press gently on the skin just beneath the lower eyelid and pull the lower eyelid away from the eye to make a space. Drop the medicine into this space. Let go of the eyelid and gently close the eyes. Do not blink. Keep the eyes closed for 1 or 2 minutes, to allow the medicine to come into contact with the infection.
• If you think you did not get the drop of medicine into your eye properly, use another drop.
• To keep the medicine as germ-free as possible, do not touch the applicator tip to any surface (including the eye). Also, keep the container tightly closed.

Dosing—

The dose of ophthalmic norfloxacin will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of ophthalmic norfloxacin. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so:

• For infants and children up to 1 year of age: Use is not recommended.
• For adults and children 1 year of age and over: Place 1 drop in each eye four times a day for 7 days.

To help clear up your infection completely, keep using this medicine for the full time of treatment, even if your symptoms begin to clear up after a few days. If you stop using this medicine too soon, your symptoms may return. Do not miss any doses.

Missed dose—

If you do miss a dose of this medicine, apply it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule.

Storage—

To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Keep the medicine from freezing.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

If your symptoms do not improve within a few days, or if they become worse, check with your doctor.

This medicine may cause your eyes to become more sensitive to light than they are normally. Wearing sunglasses and avoiding too much exposure to bright light may help lessen the discomfort.

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

• Rare
  • Skin rash or other sign of allergic reaction 
  
  

Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:

• More common
  • Burning or other eye discomfort 
  
  

• Less common
  • Bitter taste following use in the eye;  increased sensitivity of eye to light;  redness of the lining of the eyelids;  swelling of the membrane covering the white part of the eye 
  
  

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor.