Use of drugs in ointment for routine mydriasis

The mydriatic effect produced by ointment preparations of cyclopentolate 1%, tropicamide 1%, and phenylephrine hydrochloride 10% was compared to the mydriasis elicited by the aqueous solutions of the same concentrations of drugs in children and adults. There was no difference in the amount of mydriasis produced by one instillation of a very small volume of the drug in ointment in one eye when compared to multiple instillations of the aqueous solution of the same drug in the contralateral eye in 30 minutes. There were no complaints of ocular irritation when the ointment preparations were instilled into the eye; however, there were frequent complaints with the use of these drugs in aqueous solutions.