Patient Leaflet Updated 21-Oct-2022 | Santen UK Limited
Ducressa 1 mg/ml + 5 mg/ml, eye drops, solution
Ducressa 1 mg/ml + 5 mg/ml eye drops solution
dexamethasone / levofloxacin
1. What Ducressa is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you use Ducressa
3. How to use Ducressa
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Ducressa
6. Contents of the pack and other information
Ducressa is an eye drops solution that contains levofloxacin and dexamethasone.
Levofloxacin is an antibiotic of the type called fluoroquinolones (sometimes shortened to quinolones).
It works by killing some types of bacteria that can cause infections.
Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid, it has an anti-inflammatory action (stopping symptoms like pain, heat, swelling and redness).
Ducressa is used to prevent and treat inflammation and prevent possible infection of the eye after cataract surgery in adults.
You could have an infection if you have a sticky discharge from your eye or if you have a red eye that has not been seen by a doctor.
Talk to your doctor before using Ducressa:
After cataract surgery you should not wear contact lenses for the whole duration of therapy with Ducressa.
Ducressa is not recommended for children and adolescents below 18 years due to a lack of data on safety and efficacy in this age group.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist
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 using this medicine. Ducressa should not be used during pregnancy or breast-feeding.
If you experience temporary blurred vision after using this medicine for a short time, you should not drive or operate machinery until your vision is clear.
This medicine contains 4.01 mg phosphates per ml, corresponding to 0.12 mg per drop. If you suffer from severe damage to the clear layer at the front of the eye (the cornea), phosphate may cause in very rare cases cloudy patches on the cornea due to calcium build-up during treatment. Talk with your doctor who may prescribe you a phosphate-free treatment.
This medicine contains 0.05 mg benzalkonium chloride per ml corresponding to 0.0015 mg per drop.
Benzalkonium chloride may also cause eye irritation, especially if you have dry eyes or disorders of the cornea (the clear layer at the front of the eye). If you feel abnormal eye sensation, stinging or pain in the eye after using this medicine, talk to your doctor.
Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
The recommended dose is 1 drop in the affected eye every 6 hours. The maximum dose is 4 drops per day. The usual total treatment course with Ducressa is 7 days, followed, if deemed necessary by the doctor, by another 7 days of steroid eye drops.
Your doctor will advise you how long to apply the drops.
If you are putting any other medicine in your eye, you should wait at least 15 minutes between applying the different types of drops. Eye ointments should be used last.
If possible, ask someone else to apply the drops for you. Ask them to read these instructions with you before applying the drops.
1) Wash carefully your hands (picture 1).
2) Open the bottle. Remove the loose collar from the cap when the bottle is first opened.
Take special care that the tip of the dropper bottle does not touch your eye, the skin around your eye or your fingers.
3) Twist off the bottle cap. Hold the bottle pointing down, between your thumb and fingers.
4) Pull down your lower eyelid with a finger, until there is a ‘pocket’ between the eyelid and your eye.
The drop will go in here (picture 2).
5) Tilt your head back and bring the bottle tip close to the eye and squeeze the bottle gently in the middle and let a drop fall into your eye (picture 3). Please note that there might be a few seconds delay between squeezing and the drop coming out. Do not squeeze too hard.
6) After using Ducressa press a finger into the corner of your eye by the nose. This helps to stop the medicine getting into the rest of the body (picture 4).
If a drop misses your eye, try again. Put the bottle cap firmly back on immediately after use.
If you use more of this medicine than you should it can be washed out with warm water.
If you forget to use this medicine, do not worry, just use it as soon as possible. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If you stop using this medicine earlier than instructed, tell your doctor. If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Most side effects are not serious and affect only the eye.
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):
Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
Unknown
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly (see details below). By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
United Kingdom: Yellow Card Scheme: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
Ireland:
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the bottle label and carton after “EXP”. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Do not use this medicine if you notice that the plastic ring around the cap and neck is missing or broken before you start a new bottle.
Keep the bottle tightly closed. To prevent infections, you must throw away the bottle 28 days after you first opened it, and use a new bottle.
This medicine doesn’t require any special storage condition.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
Ducressa is a clear, greenish-yellow solution practically free from particles, even if expelled drops appear clear and colourless. It is supplied in a pack containing one 5 ml white plastic bottle with white dropper. The plastic bottle is closed with a screw cap.
This medicine is authorised in the Member States of the European Economic Area and in the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) under the following names:
Ducressa: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)
Dugressa: France
This leaflet was last revised in April 2022.
Detailed information on this medicine is available on the websites of the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), www.mhra.gov.uk, and the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), www.hpra.ie.
ducressa-uk-APPR 20221020 [1B 008]
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