How to Help Your Patients Find Eyemycin in Stock: A Provider's Guide

The erythromycin ophthalmic ointment shortage has been generating patient call-backs and prescription access issues for providers across specialties for years. With Bausch & Lomb as the sole major commercial manufacturer in the U.S., availability at the retail pharmacy level is inconsistent — and patients often don't know where to turn.

This guide gives you actionable tools and talking points to help your patients navigate the shortage — and helps you decide when the right move is switching to an alternative.

Understanding What Your Patients Are Experiencing

When patients can't fill their erythromycin eye ointment prescription, they typically experience one of the following scenarios:

The pharmacy says it's out of stock with no estimated restock date

The pharmacy says it's been backordered for weeks

Multiple pharmacies in the area are all out of stock

They can find it, but only in unit-dose tubes not suited to outpatient use

Understanding this reality helps you have a more productive conversation with patients and reduce frustration on both sides.

Step 1: Write the Prescription Generically

Always write for 'erythromycin ophthalmic ointment 0.5%' rather than by any brand name. The Eyemycin brand has been discontinued, and other brand names (Ilotycin, Roymicin) are also out of commercial production. A generically-written prescription allows the pharmacist to dispense any equivalent formulation, including from any manufacturer or compounding pharmacy.

Step 2: Check Pharmacy Availability Before Sending the Script

One of the most practical steps you can take is verifying pharmacy availability before sending the electronic prescription. medfinder for Providers allows you to check which pharmacies near your patient have the medication in stock — dramatically reducing the chance of a frustrated patient call-back after they've been turned away at their pharmacy.

Step 3: Direct Patients to Independent and Compounding Pharmacies

Independent pharmacies often carry stock that major chain pharmacies don't, due to different wholesaler relationships. Building a referral list of local independent pharmacies and compounding pharmacies that carry ophthalmic preparations can be a significant time-saver for both your office and your patients.

Compounding pharmacies can prepare erythromycin 0.5% ophthalmic ointment from pharmaceutical-grade raw materials during shortage periods. If you're in an area where retail stock is consistently unavailable, establishing a relationship with a local compounding pharmacy may provide a reliable supply channel for your patients.

Step 4: Know When to Switch to an Alternative

For non-neonatal patients, switching to an alternative is often clinically appropriate and may be preferable given erythromycin's declining efficacy against resistant staphylococci. Consider switching when:

The patient cannot locate erythromycin at any nearby pharmacy within 24 hours

The infection is worsening and delay risks corneal involvement

Staphylococcal etiology is suspected (erythromycin resistance is common)

The patient is a contact lens wearer (Pseudomonas coverage is needed — consider fluoroquinolones)

Recommended alternatives by indication:

Bacterial conjunctivitis (mild-moderate): Tobramycin 0.3% drops q4h, or bacitracin ophthalmic ointment

Blepharitis / MGD: Azithromycin 1% ophthalmic solution (if available)

Moderate-to-severe or contact lens-related: Moxifloxacin 0.5% or ciprofloxacin 0.3% ophthalmic drops

Step 5: Provide Patients With a Clear Next-Steps Plan

Patients who leave your office with a clear plan are less likely to call back in frustration. At the point of prescribing, consider providing:

An explanation that this medication may be hard to find and why

The name of a local independent or compounding pharmacy to try

A backup prescription or standing order for an alternative they can use if they can't find erythromycin within 24–48 hours

A referral to medfinder.com to help them locate stock without spending hours on the phone

For a clinical briefing on the shortage, supply chain data, and resistance context, see our Eyemycin shortage briefing for providers.