Optimmune Eye Ointment is a useful medicine for your pet if he suffers from an eye condition related to autoimmune disorder. Optimmune can be used to help treat conditions like dry eye, and there are other issues that your pet may face for which Optimunne may be a viable treatment option as well. Optimmune uses the drug called cyclosporine as its active ingredient and is approved for use in animals. There are other versions of cyclosporine ointments and medicines that are only approved for use in humans, so it's important that you consult with your veterinarian to be sure that the medicine that you have is appropriate for your pet.
Optimmune Overview
Cyclosporine is an example of an immunosuppressant drug. This type of drug will inhibit certain functionality of the white blood cells upon contact with them. White blood cells are an important component of your pet's immune system. Because overfunctioning of the immune system can actually lead to certain health conditions, called autoimmune disorders, it's important that you take the steps to regulate the immune system in certain cases. Optimmune is useful at regulating the immune system in your dog's eyes if he has dry eye or another eye condition related to overactivity of his immune system.
Using Optimmune for Your Pet
The ophthalmic preparation of the cyclosporine drug is commonly given as a liquid. You'll apply the ointment to your pet's eye via an eye dropper. This medicine is of a lower concentration than other forms of cyclosporine drugs. However, it's still important that you recognize that you may provide your pet with too much of the medicine. In order to prevent this from happening, follow your vet's orders regarding dosing as carefully as possible.
Typically, Optimmune is provided via eye dropper into both eyes or whichever eye is affected. You'll traditionally provide this treatment once or twice per day, depending upon the severity of the condition.
Risks and Side Effects of Optimmune
If your pet has a disease which affects his immune system, you should avoid giving him Optimmune and instead opt for other types of eye medicines instead. Similarly, certain types of kidney damage and disease and other underlying conditions may preclude your dog from having Optimmune in his system. For this reason, it's important that you inform your vet of any and all types of medicine that your pet is on before you begin a treatment program involving the use of Optimmune.
The most common side effects of this drug include the following:
- Eye infection
- Loss of appetite
- Tearing
- Sedation
Of these side effects, eye infection is the most commonly occurring with Optimmune. This happens because the suppression of the immune system results in a weakened ability to flush bacteria from the eye, and the bacteria are then more likely to reproduce and cause an infection. For this reason, most vets avoid providing Optimmune as a long term treatment. Ask your vet for more information about whether this treatment option is appropriate for your pet.