Oral azithromycin for the treatment of meibomitis.

Oral Azithromycin for the Treatment ofMeibomitis Commontreatment regimens formeibomitis includeeyelidhygiene, lubricants, topical antibiotics, topical steroids, and systemicmedications.1Azithromycin isamacrolideantibioticwith robust antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties,2 and topical azithromycin, 1%, ophthalmic solution (AzaSite) has been shown to be efficacious in treating anterior and posterior blepharitis.3Azithromycin’s pharmacokinetic profile adds to its potential value in treating meibomitis: a single 1-g oral dose results in high conjunctival tissue and tear fluid concentrations that persist for at least 14 days.4 Pulsed oral azithromycin has been reported to improve ocular signs and symptoms in patientswith papulopustular rosacea.5 Based on this, azithromycinhaspotentialefficacy intreatingmeibomitisusing a short, pulsed dosing regimen, andwehave used azithromycin in this fashion for the treatment of symptomaticmeibomitis. We performed a retrospective review of patients receiving oral azithromycin for meibomitis to determine its impact on relieving patients’ symptoms.