Antimicrobial Efficacy of Hydrogen Peroxide Contact Lens Care Products in the Presence of Contact Lenses

Abstract

Purpose : Hydrogen peroxide (HP) based contact lens care products (CLC) offer outstanding antimicrobial efficacy against a range of pathogenic microorganisms. HP CLCs function using a strong disinfectant that is neutralized over time. HP CLCs are recognized in the market for their enhanced efficacy to preserved multipurpose solutions. In this study, HP CLCs were evaluated for antimicrobial efficacy against strains of Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Fusarium, Candida, as well as Acanthamoeba trophozoites and cysts in the presence of silicone hydrogel (SH) contact lenses (CL).

Methods : Two CLCs (3% hydrogen peroxide) were tested against ISO strains as well as clinically relevant strains including Fusarium, and Acanthamoeba trophozoites and cysts using a modified version of ISO 18259. Testing was conducted using SH lenses in the manufacturer’s contact lens case so that neutralizing discs could be utilized per the instructions for use. Aliquots of 10⁴-10⁶ CFU/mL of each organism were inoculated onto two SH lenses. Organisms were allowed to adhere for three minutes then CLs were submerged in the lens case containing 10mL of hydrogen peroxide product until disinfection time (DT). After DT (6 hours), contents of the lens case as well as both lenses were placed in a glass tube and vortexed vigorously. CLC/CL combinations were sampled and organisms recovered depending on their individual growth requirements. Log reductions were calculated based on inoculum controls generated at time 0 and test samples recovered at disinfection time.

Results : CLCs (3% hydrogen peroxide) showed a high level of efficacy in the presence of SH lenses against all organisms tested. For bacteria, and yeast, both products had >5.0 log kill while for Fusarium, the CLCs had >4.0 log kill with SH lenses. The log reduction for Acanthamoeba trophozoites was >4.5 and for Acanthamoeba cysts, log kill ranged from 2.5-3.7 for both products and all CLs tested. The presence of CL did not negatively affect the antimicrobial efficacy of HP products. HP products can effectively clean CL lenses of a wide range of microorganisms.

Conclusions : Hydrogen peroxide CLCs demonstrated a high level of antimicrobial efficacy against all microorganisms including Acanthamoeba in the presence of SH lenses. Hydrogen peroxide products maintain their antimicrobial efficacy in the presence of contact lenses.

This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.