Pearls:

Considering the cost of medications is an important determinant of medication adherence

Avoiding prescribing non-generic medications and reminding patients to request generic versions when filling their prescriptions can dramatically lower the cost of many medications.

Antibiotic eye drops should be reserved for cases with reasonable probability for bacterial etiology of infection.

In patients with a history of contact lens use, tobramycin ($8/bottle at Wal-Mart) is generally the most affordable option. Fluoroquinolones are typically prohibitively expensive.

Cefuroxime is an excellent and reasonably priced oral cephalosporin with excellent activity against the common organisms causing UTI, pneumonia, and cellulitis.