Chemical Put Into Baby's Eyes

[BlueGirl13]

I have questions about the chemical they put into the babies eyes after delivery.

What do they call it?
What is it exactly?

My health class was discussing this the other day and had a doctor come in to the class to answer our questions, but I have a large class so... yet, the doctor said in the state of Indiana it's state law they have to put this gloppy stuff in the babies eyes, even after a c-section.
She stated that it is suppose to fight off bacterial infections the mother may have had and also to clean out the babies eyes. Is this true? I was under the impression it's just vitamins, but a girl in my class asked about if the mother has an std and didn't know - this stuff would clear everything out. The doctor said this is correct and it's why it's state law now. She said it's also state law for us women to be tested during our prenatal exams for any type of bacterial infection and the CDC strongly recommends it.
Why a state law now? And is what she said true?

Thanks!

[BlueGirl13]

Colloidal silver is a liquid suspension of microscopic particles of silver. A colloid is technically defined as particles which remain suspended without forming an ionic, or dissolved solution. The broader commercial definition of "colloidal silver" includes products that contain various concentrations of ionic silver, silver colloids, ionic silver compounds or silver proteins in purified water. Colloidal silver with concentrations of 30 parts per million (ppm) or less are typically manufactured using an electrolyte process, whereas colloidal silver with higher concentrations of 50 ppm or more are usually either silver compounds such as silver chloride and silver iodide or are solutions that have been bound with a protein to disperse the particles.


Silver nitrate is a soluble chemical compound with chemical formula AgNO3. This nitrate of silver is a versatile precursor to many silver compounds, such as those used in photography, although this salt is far less sensitive to light than the halides. A spill of AgNO3 solution on the skin results in a white stain which turns dark after roughly an hour, resulting from a combination of silver metal and silver sulfide. The stain usually goes away as the skin peels, which takes about 1.5 weeks.


Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic that has an antimicrobial spectrum similar to or slightly wider than that of penicillin, and is often used for people that have an allergy to penicillins. For respiratory tract infections, it has better coverage of atypical organisms, including mycoplasma and Legionellosis. It is also used to treat outbreaks of chlamydia, syphilis, acne, and gonorrhea. In structure, this macrocyclic compound contains a 14-membered lactone ring with ten asymmetric centers and two sugars (L-cladinose and D-desoamine), making it a compound very difficult to produce via synthetic methods.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

LOL....I found that one...I don't think any of my kids received that. But my youngest two were born in a military hospital overseas.  I can't remember what my oldest got...

to the OP...it's very common and does not harm the infants regardless of what you particular state/hospital uses.  It has helped to prevent many unnecessary cases of blindness and potential brain infections.

[BlueGirl13]

Thanks for the information. Like I said the class was really large and it's hard to hear the doctor and/or teacher at the time. My girlfriend is pregnant right now (about 8 months) and she and I were wondering alot about this ourselves and it's nice to see the preventative in place.
She was tested for STD's around the 4th month and retested for syphilis recently when they took the blood for her glucose testing. Yet, she told me all her tests came up negative (not that there was a concern) but she is a bit of a germaphobic at times.

[JoyRenee]

OMG! I'm such a dork... it's either of those silvers and I have no idea if they are similar. LOL! I don't mean to be such a pest!

[JoyRenee]

Oops, excuse me... it is SILVER NITRATE... I went to look it up just to double check. So try googling that!

[LosingMyMindInGA]

My kids were given erythromycin (or something similiar sounding)....I've never heard of that silver stuff.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Most likely it's erythromycin.  Yes it IS an antiobiotic.  Years ago bacteria including STD's was a major cause of blindness in newborns, therefore MOST all states now REQUIRE that hospitals administer the ointment or eyedrops containing an antibiotic immediately after birth.  It does not HARM the infant or cause them any problems, it merely prevents anything FROM happening.  Some people say it makes a newborns vision blurry however, newborns can't see more than a couple of inches in front of their faces anyway so it's not that big of a deal.  I had 3 children and all 3 of them have had this ointment.  
It is also routine for women to be tested for STD's, I don't know if this is a law but it is HIGHLY recommended and beneficial becuase many STD's can cause serious problems with the baby both in utero an during delivery.

[JoyRenee]

It's colloidial silver