Background and objective: Investigation of the penetration of topical ciprofloxacin into aqueous humor.
Patients and methods: Topical 0.3% ciprofloxacin drops were administered to 17 patients with cataracts before lens extraction surgery. The time interval between the first dose and sampling was 3 hours in 9 patients (group A) and 6 hours in 8 (group B). In both groups, aqueous samples were collected 30 minutes after the last ciprofloxacin application. Ciprofloxacin concentration was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection.
Results: Mean aqueous concentration was 0.83+/-0.48 microgram/ml in group A and 2.42+/-1.42 micrograms/ml in group B.
Conclusion: Topical 0.3% ciprofloxacin penetrates into the aqueous in a significant concentration.