Norfloxacin is an antibacterial agent, It inhibits inhibits DNA synthesis by inhibiting DNA gyrase enzyme. Norfloxacin was approved in 1986 for treatment of urinary tract infections, gynecological infections, prostatitis, gonorhhea and bladder infections. In ophtalmology, norfloxacin is used for treatment of conjunctivitus.

Nitrofurazone is used to treat burns that have become infected. It is also used to treat skin infections due to skin grafts. It works by killing bacteria or preventing their growth. The exact mechanism of action is unknown. Nitrofurazone inhibits several bacterial enzymes, especially those involved in the aerobic and anaerobic degradation of glucose and pyruvate. The severe or irreversible adverse effects of Nitrofurazone, which give rise to further complications include Peripheral neuropathy, Thromboembolic disorder.

Hexamidine diisethionate has been used in the personal care industry and in a number of over-the-counter (OTC) drug products as an antimicrobial agent. It was shown, that hexamidine diisethionate plays a beneficial role in skin homoeostasis.

Dibrompropamidine isetionate is an antiseptic. Ointment containing dibrompropamidine isetionate is used to treat minor eye or eyelid infections, such as conjunctivitis and blepharitis.

Picloxydine is a heterocyclic biguanide with antibacterial and antiplaque activity. 0.4% Picloxydine produces a highly significant drop in the number of aerobic organisms. 0.4% Picloxydine is far more effective than 0.2% Picloxydine or chlorhexidine in reducing the total viable count of oral aerobic and anaerobic organisms. It is used to treat superficial eye infections. Picloxydine is also used in eye drops in the topical therapy of trachoma. This drug can cause side effects - local intolerance reactions (temporary irritation, allergic reactions).

Propamidine, an aromatic diamidine compound, is widely used as an antimicrobial agent. Propamidine isethionate, the salt of propamidine with isethionic acid, is used in the treatment of Acanthamoeba infection. Diseases caused by Acanthamoeba include keratitis and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis.

Bacitracin is a polypeptide antibiotic produced by Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis. Bacitracin in combination with neomycin and polymyxin B is indicated for the treatment of many bacterial diseases. The antibacterial properties of bacitracin are mediated by its binding to C55-isoprenyl pyrophosphate, resulting in inhibition of cell wall biosynthesis.

Bibrocathol (trade names Noviform and Posiformin) is a well-established topical antiseptic for the treatment of acute eyelid diseases like blepharitis. Eye ointments containing 2 or 5 % bibrocathol and the excipients liquid paraffin, white soft paraffin, and lanolin have been marketed since 1967 for the treatment of eye irritation, chronic blepharitis, and uninfected corneal injuries. Reports of clinical experience with bibrocathol for inflammation of the edge of the palpebra exist since the beginning of the 20th century. Until recently, no controlled, randomized clinical studies according to the guidelines for Good Clinical Practice for Trials on Medical Products for Human Use (GCP) as defined by the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) have been performed with bibrocathol 2 % ointment, as these were not required for marketing authorization in the 1960s. A first double-blind, prospective, controlled, GCP-compliant clinical study was recently performed to assess the efficacy of bibrocathol 5 % (Noviform®) in acute blepharitis. It demonstrated superior efficacy of bibrocathol 5 % ointment as compared to an ointment vehicle (placebo) after 2 weeks of treatment as assessed by a combined measure of slit-lamp examination results and patients’ subjective complaints.

Propionic acid (PA), also known as propanoic acid, with chemical formula C3H6O2, is an organic acid used as a food additive and found naturally on the skin and in the gastrointestinal tract. It is a byproduct of fermentation reactions and is also produced industrially from ethylene or ethanol and carbon monoxide. Propionic acid is a fungicide and bactericide, registered to controlfungi and bacteria in stored grains, hay, grain storage areas, poultry litter,and drinking water for livestock and poultry. As a food preservative, propionic acid prevents mold in bread and baked goods, and it is used as a flavoring agent in cheese and other packaged goods. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers it safe and therefore, has no limitation on its use. It has been demonstrated that PA lowers fatty acids content in liver and plasma, reduces food intake, exerts immunosuppressive actions and probably improves tissue insulin sensitivity. Thus increased production of PA by the microbiota might be considered beneficial in the context of prevention of obesity and diabetes type 2. The molecular mechanisms by which PA may exert this plethora of physiological effects are slowly being elucidated and include intestinal cyclooxygenase enzyme, the G-protein coupled receptors 41 and 43 and activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, in turn inhibiting the sentinel transcription factor NF-κB and thus increasing the threshold for inflammatory responses in general. Taken together, PA emerges as a major mediator in the link between nutrition, gut microbiota and physiology. The sodium salt of propionic acid was previously approved in Canada as an active ingredient in Amino-Cerv (used to treat inflammation or injury of the cervix).

Silver iodide is an inorganic compound with the formula AgI. It is used as a photosensitive agent in photography, as a local antiseptic, as a chemical intermediate, and in cloud seeding for rain-making. The major hazards encountered in the use and handling of silver iodide stem from its toxicologic properties. Effects from exposure may include skin rashes, conjunctivitis, argyria (a permanent ashen-gray discoloration of skin, conjunctiva, and internal organs), headache, fever, hypersensitivity, laryngitis, and bronchitis.