What is OU in pharmacy?

In pharmacy, OU is a common abbreviation used in prescriptions that stands for "in both eyes."

When a healthcare provider writes a prescription for an eye medication, such as eye drops or ointment, they use specific abbreviations derived from Latin to indicate which eye(s) should receive the medication and how often. The abbreviation OU specifies that the medication should be applied to both the patient's right eye and left eye.

Using precise abbreviations like OU is crucial in healthcare to ensure the correct medication is administered to the intended location, minimizing the risk of errors.

Based on the provided reference, other related abbreviations commonly found on prescriptions for eye medications include:

These abbreviations are essential for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to correctly fill and label prescriptions and for patients to understand how to properly use their eye medications.