Insights from an online survey: Veterinary surgeons' antibiotic practices in ophthalmic surgery in Germany

To investigate antibiotic usage practices in ophthalmic surgeries in Germany.

An online questionnaire was sent to veterinary surgeons (general veterinarians and veterinarians with additional qualification in ophthalmology) inquiring about their antibiotic preferences, administration methods, and factors affecting antibiotic usage in ophthalmic surgical procedures.

A total of 417 questionnaires were analyzed. Postoperative antibiotics (systemic/topical in percent when used) were used all or most of the time by 69% of veterinarians following enucleation (99/6), by 62% after eyelid surgery (54/69), by 68% after third eyelid (TEL) surgery (19/92) and by 80% after keratectomy (6/99). The most commonly used systemic antibiotic was amoxicillin with clavulanic acid and the most commonly used topical antibiotic was chloramphenicol. WHO "watch-group" antibiotics were infrequently administered systemically but frequently utilized topically; including in 13% of eyelid surgery, 15% of TEL surgery, and 35% of keratectomies. Factors influencing antibiotic use included fear of complications (67%), personal experience (63%), diagnostic uncertainty (21%), and owner expectations (9%). Participants following institutional guidelines used fewer antibiotics in enucleations (p = .002) and were less likely to choose fluoroquinolones post-eyelid surgery (p = .044).

The potential for reducing antibiotic use following ophthalmic soft tissue surgery is significant. Addressing barriers such as concerns about postoperative complications and the reliance on individual clinical experience, the implementation of standardized guidelines could facilitate a shift toward more judicious antibiotic practices.