Dexafree 1 mg/ml Eye Drops, Solution in single-dose container Dexamethasone Phosphate
1. What Dexafree Is And What It Is Used For
Dexafree is a disposable eye drop that contains a substance called dexamethasone. The substance is a corticosteroid that inhibits inflammatory symptoms.
Dexafree eye drops are used to treat inflammation in the eye (s). The eye should not be infected (red eyes, secretions, tear flow). Upon infection should specific treatment for the infection a prescribed (see section 2).
Dexamethasone contained in Dexafree may also be approved for the treatment of other conditions not mentioned in this product information. Ask your doctor, pharmacist, or another healthcare professional if you have any further questions, and always follow their instructions.
2. What You Need To Know Before Using Dexafree
Do Not Use Dexafree
- If you have an eye infection that can be caused by a bacterial ( acute purulent infection ), a fungus, a virus (herpes virus, vaccinia virus, varicella zona – viruses ), or an amoeba,
- If you have corneal damage (holes, wounds, or injuries due to incomplete healing),
- If you have ocular hypertension (increased pressure in the eye) which is known to be caused by neurosteroids (a type of corticosteroid ),
- If you are allergic to dexamethasone or any of the other ingredients of Dexafree eye drops (listed in section 6).
Warnings And Cautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Dexafree.
DO NOT INJECT OR SWALLOW
Avoid contact between the drip tip and the eye or eyelid.
- Close eye checks are always required when using it and especially:
- In children and the elderly. More frequent eye examinations are recommended
- If you have an eye infection. Only use Dexafree if the infection is treated with antibiotics or if you have corneal ulcers. Do not use topical dexamethasone treatment or Dexafree, unless inflammation is the main cause of delayed wound healing.
- If you have increased pressure in the eye. If you have already experienced side effects from treatment with local steroids that resulted in increased pressure in the eye, you are at risk of developing increased pressure in the eye if you are treated with Dexafree.
- If you have glaucoma ( glaucoma ).
- Children: continuous long-term treatment should be avoided.
- Severe allergic conjunctivitis ( inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye ): if you have severe allergic conjunctivitis that does not respond to standard treatment, use Dexafree for only a short time.
- Diabetes: If you are diabetic, tell your ophthalmologist.
- Red-eye: if you have red-eye that has not been diagnosed, do not use Dexafree.
- Contact lenses: Avoid wearing contact lenses during treatment with it.
Talk to your doctor if you experience swelling and weight gain around the torso and face, as these are usually the first signs of a syndrome called Cushing’s syndrome. The impaired adrenal function may develop after discontinuation of long-term or intensive treatment with Dexafree. These risks are particularly important for children and patients treated with medicines called ritonavir or cobicistat. Therefore, talk to your doctor before stopping treatment yourself.
Contact a doctor if you experience blurred vision or other visual disturbances.
Other Medicines And Dexafree
If you are using any other medicine to be applied to the eye, wait 15 minutes between each preparation.
Tell your doctor if you are taking ritonavir or cobicistat, as this may increase the amount of dexamethasone in your blood.
Precipitation of calcium phosphate on the surface of the cornea has been observed during concomitant treatment with local steroids and beta-blockers.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines.
Pregnancy And Breastfeeding
- There is insufficient information on the use of Dexafree during pregnancy to evaluate the potential side effects. Therefore, the use of Dexafree during pregnancy is not recommended.
- It is not known whether Dexafree is excreted in human milk. However, the total dose of dexamethasone is small. Therefore, Dexafree can be used during breastfeeding.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant, or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
Driving And Using Machines
As with all eye drops, transient blurred vision or other visual disturbances may affect the ability to drive or use machines. Do not drive or use machines until you have regained normal vision.
You are responsible for assessing whether you are fit to drive a motor vehicle or perform work that requires sharpened attention. One of the factors that can affect your ability in these respects is the use of drugs due to their effects and/or side effects.
Descriptions of these effects and side effects can be found in other sections. Read all the information in this leaflet for guidance. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Dexafree Contains Phosphate
This medicine contains 80 micrograms of phosphate per drop.
3. Dexafree How To Use
Dexafree eye drops dosage
Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure.
The recommended Dexafree eye drops dosage is one drop 4-6 times daily in the eye to be treated. In severe cases, treatment can start with 1 drop every hour and dosage one can be reduced to 1 drop every 4 hours when a favorable response has been observed. Gradual reduction of dose one is recommended to prevent relapse.
- Elderly: No special dosing is required.
- Children: Continuous long-term treatment should be avoided.
Instructions for Dexafree uses
Ocular use: Dexafree is intended for use in the eyes.
- Wash your hands thoroughly before using this medicine.
- Drip one drop in the eye to be treated as you gaze upwards while pulling the lower eyelid down slightly.
- Immediately after application, press lightly with the finger in the corner of the eye on the treated eye for a few minutes (to reduce the risk of general reactions and to increase the penetration of the active substance into the eye).
- Dispose of the single-dose container after use. You should not save it for later use.
Repeated treatment
4-6 times daily.
Length of treatment
The duration of a treatment usually varies from a few days to a maximum of 14 days.
If You Use More Dexafree Than You Should
Rinse the eye with running sterile water if you have dropped too much of the Dexafree into your eye and you have been irritated for a long time.
Contact a doctor or pharmacist immediately.
If you have ingested too much medicine or if, for example, a child has accidentally ingested the medicine, contact a doctor, hospital, or the Poison Information Center for risk assessment and advice.
If You Forget To Use Dexafree
Do not use a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If You Stop Using Dexafree
Do not end the treatment suddenly. Always consult your doctor if you are considering stopping treatment.
If you have any further questions about the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible Dexafree Eye Drops Side Effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them:
Hormone disorders:
Has been reported Dexafree eye drops side effects (occur in an unknown number of users)
- Extra hair growth on the body (especially in women)
- Muscle weakness and loss
- Purple stretch marks on the skin
- High blood pressure
- Irregular or no menstruation
- Changes in protein and calcium levels in the body
- Growth inhibition in children and adolescents
- Swelling and weight gain on the body and in the face (called Cushing’s syndrome, see section 2 “Warnings and Precautions”)
Eye side effects:
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):
- High pressure in the eye, after two weeks of treatment.
Common Dexafree eye drops side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
- Discomfort
- Irritation
- Burning
- Tingling
- Itching
- Blurred vision
These side effects are usually short-lived and mild.
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
- Allergic and hypersensitivity reactions to any of the ingredients in the eye drops
- Delayed healing
- Lens haze (cataracts, cataracts )
- Infection
- Glaucoma ( glaucoma )
Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
- Inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye ( conjunctivitis )
- Dilated pupil ( mydriasis )
- Facial swelling (facial edema)
- Drooping eyelids (ptosis)
- Inflammation of the iris ( uveitis )
- Calcification of the cornea
- Inflammation of the cornea (crystalline keratopathy )
- Differences in corneal thickness
- Corneal edema
- Corneal ulcer
- Holes in the cornea
If you have severely damaged cornea, in very rare cases, phosphate can cause cloudy spots on the cornea due to the accumulation of calcium during treatment.
5. How To Store Dexafree
- Keep Dexafree eye drops out of the sight and reach of children.
- Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the single-dose container after EXP. The expiration date is the last day of the specified month.
- After opening the protective bag containing the single-dose containers: use the single-dose containers within 15 days.
- Use the single-dose container immediately after opening it and discard it after use.
- Store the single-dose containers in their original packaging. Sensitive to light.
- Dexafree eye drops should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.
6. Contents Of The Packaging And Other Information
Content Declaration
- The active substance is dexamethasone sodium phosphate. One milliliter solution contains 1 mg dexamethasone phosphate (as dexamethasone sodium phosphate).
- The other ingredients are
- Disodium edetate
- Disodium phosphate dodecahydrate
- Sodium chloride
- Water for injections
What The Medicine Looks Like And The Contents Of The Pack
- Dexafree are clear colorless to pale brown eye drops, solution in single-dose containers.
- Each single-dose container contains 0.4 ml of solution. The package contains 10, 20, 30, 50, or 100 single-dose containers packed in sachets.
- Not all packaging may be marketed.
Marketing Authorization Holder And Manufacturer
Marketing Authorisation Holder:
Laboratories THEA
12, rue Louis Blériot
63017 Clermont-Ferrand Cedex 2
France
Manufacturer:
Excelvision
Rue de la Lombardière
07100 Annonay
France
or
Laboratory UNITHER
ZI de la Guérie
50211 Cedex Coutances
France