Abstract
Purpose :
Contact lens storage case contaminants may be transmitted to contact lenses during storage leading to contact lens related microbial adverse events. This study investigated bacteria transmission from biofilms in contact lens storage cases to contact lenses during storage and disinfection.
Methods :
Pseudomonas aeruginosa 071 or Staphylococcus aureus 031 biofilms were grown on contact lens cases. Contact lenses, senofilcon A or etafilcon A, were placed in the storage cases and the storage cases were either disinfected with a multipurpose disinfecting solution or filled with a rinsing solution for 4 hours. The number of bacteria in lens storage cases and contact lenses was estimated by culture.
Results :
There was a significant reduction in P.aeruginosa (-3.5 log CFU; p<0.01) and S.aureus (-2.9 log CFU; p<0.01) biofilms in the contact lens storage cases following 4 hours disinfection with the multipurpose disinfecting solution. There was minimal reduction of P. aeruginosa (-0.5 log CFU; p>0.1) biofilm in the lens cases filled with the rinsing solution. Following a disinfection cycle in the presence of a contact lens, 26% of P. aeruginosa and 13% of S. aureus was transferred to contact lenses, whereas only 1% of bacteria was transferred to contact lenses from storage cases filled with the rinsing solution. However, the contact lenses from storage cases disinfected with the multipurpose disinfecting solution had significantly lower numbers of P. aeruginosa (2.0 log CFU reduction; p<0.01) and S. aureus (1.0 log CFU reduction; p<0.01) compared to lenses from storage cases filled with the rinsing solution. There was no significant difference between the two lens types for the number of bacteria transferred from lens storage cases.
Conclusions :
Bacteria can be transferred to contact lenses during storage even during a disinfection cycle.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.