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Sulfacetamide is a sulfonamide antibacterial instilled for conjunctivitis, blepharitis and corneal ulcer, and it is the drop most Russian households know as Albucid.
- The eye drop most Russian households know as Albucid
- Sulfonamide drop for bacterial conjunctivitis and blepharitis
- Blocks folate synthesis in bacteria, sparing human cells
- Sits in half the medicine cabinets of the former Soviet Union
- Cheap, familiar and mostly harmless
Mechanism
It is a structural analogue of para-aminobenzoic acid and competitively inhibits dihydropteroate synthase, so bacteria cannot make the folate they need for nucleotide synthesis. Human cells take up preformed folate and are unaffected, which is what makes the class selective; the action is bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal.
Safetyrisks and cautions, not medical advice
a sulfonamide; Stevens-Johnson syndrome has been reported even from ophthalmic use and it cross reacts with other sulfonamide allergies
Subjective profileweighing the evidence above
Albucid sits in half the medicine cabinets of the former Soviet Union and is mostly harmless, but familiarity has made it the default drop for conditions it does not treat; viral conjunctivitis, allergy and dry eye all get it, and none of them are bacterial. The caution that matters is that sulfonamide hypersensitivity does not care about the route: Stevens-Johnson syndrome has been reported after ophthalmic use, so a known sulfa allergy rules it out. Pain, light sensitivity or blurred vision means it has stopped being simple conjunctivitis and needs an examination, not another drop.
Where to buy
Suppliers
Vendors carrying Sulfacetamide, with live product details and codes. Links are affiliate links that support the wiki at no cost to you.
RUPharma🌐
Sulfacetamide