👁️ ANTIBIOTIC EYE OINTMENT 👁️ - why do newborns routinely get antibiotic eye ointment (erythromycin, in Canada) placed in their eyes within 1-2 hours after birth? ⁣ ⁣

ON (ophthalmia neonatorum) is essentially an eye infection in babies which can be caused by different bacteria or viruses; most notably Gonorrhea, which accounts for about 1% of ON cases in Canada. 40% of ON cases in Canada are caused by chlamydia, the remaining 59% of cases are caused by other viruses, bacteria, and even chemicals.⁣