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Proparacaine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of proparacaine include off label use, vision blurred, and eye pain, based on 1,047 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 3.1% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Proparacaine side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for proparacaine.

1
Off Label Use16.1%169
2
Vision Blurred9.0%94
3
Eye Pain7.4%77
4
Visual Impairment5.7%60
5
Visual Acuity Reduced5.3%56
6
Corneal Oedema5.1%53
7
Endophthalmitis5.1%53
8
Conjunctival Hyperaemia4.7%49
9
Product Use In Unapproved Indication4.4%46
10
Drug Abuse4.3%45
11
Hypopyon3.8%40
12
Eye Pain3.7%39
13
Cataract3.7%39
14
Vitreous Floaters3.7%39
15
Corneal Epithelium Defect3.4%36

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that proparacaine caused these reactions.

Report severity

83.6%Serious875 reports
20.4%Hospitalizations214 reports
7.0%Fatal73 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Proparacaine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside proparacaine. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Ranibizumab18.1%190
2
Bevacizumab13.7%143
3
Tropicamide6.9%72
4
Sodium-chloride5.6%59
5
Lidocaine5.4%57
6
Potassium-chloride5.2%54
7
Aflibercept4.9%51
8
Povidone-iodine4.5%47
9
Phenylephrine4.0%42
10
Calcium-chloride3.9%41
11
Magnesium-chloride3.9%41
12
Sodium-acetate3.6%38
13
Sodium-citrate3.6%38
14
Dexamethasone3.4%36
15
Triamcinolone3.3%35

Taken alongside

1
Povidone-iodine28.4%297
2
Tropicamide15.4%161
3
Lidocaine14.4%151
4
Phenylephrine10.2%107
5
Moxifloxacin-hydrochloride8.8%92
6
Aspirin8.3%87
7
Ofloxacin7.3%76
8
Levofloxacin5.7%60
9
Levothyroxine-sodium5.1%53
10
Metformin4.9%51
11
Acetaminophen4.7%49
12
Sodium-chloride4.7%49
13
Lisinopril4.5%47
14
Prednisolone4.4%46
15
Insulin4.3%45

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports proparacaine side effects

42.8% of proparacaine adverse event reports involve female patients and 37.6% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 48%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female42.8%
Male37.6%
Unknown19.6%

Age group

< 28.9%
2–112.1%
12–171.7%
18–6447.7%
65+39.6%

What is proparacaine used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking proparacaine when the adverse event was reported.

Acute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAdjuvant TherapyAnaesthesiaAnaesthesia EyeAnaesthesia OralAnaesthesia ProcedureAnaesthetic PremedicationAnalgesic TherapyAngle Closure GlaucomaAntibiotic TherapyAnxietyApplication Site AnaesthesiaAdjuvant TherapyAnaesthesia

Showing 15 of 111 indications

Proparacaine brand names and reporting trend

Proparacaine is sold under the brand name Paracaine.

Brand names

Paracaine44

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20042010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking proparacaine with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.