title: Systemic side effects of eye drops: a pharmacokinetic perspective.
abstract: When administering eye drops, even when completely correctly applied, several routes of absorption are possible and excess amounts can sometimes cause an unwanted systemic bioavailability of the drops when not completely absorbed into the eye. Furthermore, the concentration of active ingredients in such medicinal preparations is usually very high, so that despite the correct application of the recommended dose, considerable amounts may be absorbed in an unwanted manner through various routes. Children are subject to a much higher risk of systemic side effects because ocular dosing is not weight adjusted and physiological development (eg, liver status) differs from that of adults. There is a lack of information about pediatric dosing in the current literature. This review summarizes the most important clinically relevant systemic side effects that may occur during ophthalmic eye treatments. In this review, we discuss general pharmacokinetic considerations as well as the advantages, disadvantages, and consequences of administering drugs from some important drug groups to the eye.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Pharmacy and Diagnostics, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna.
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farkouh
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Medical University of Vienna.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Frigo
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Pharmacy and Diagnostics, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna; Austrian Society of Applied Pharmacokinetics, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Czejka
keywords: CYP; children; dosing; pharmacodynamics