Keratitis Survives for 4 Hours in CL Cleaning Solution

“Researchers from The University of Liverpool and The Royal Liverpool University NHS Trust tested different strains of the keratitis-causing bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa for their ability to survive in a commonly used contact lens cleaning solution. The team compared nine clinical strains of P. aeruginosa, taken from hospital patients in the UK, with P. aeruginosa strain 9027, the standard strain used by lens solution manufacturers.” That’s part of a post on Science Codex. “The results showed that the majority of clinical strains tested were killed within 10 minutes of being immersed in the contact lens solution, comparable with the standard reference strain. However, one clinical isolate, P. aeruginosa strain 39016 – associated with a more severe case of keratitis with a prolonged healing time – was able to survive for over four hours, much longer than the reference strain.” Read more.

Keratitis Risk Increases 10-Fold with Extended Wear CLs

“The risk of contact lens-related infectious keratitis is increased 10-fold among extended-wear contact lens users, a speaker said here,” according to Ocular Surgery News. “'It’s not a common disease, infection related to contact lenses,'” Douglas R. Lazzaro, MD, said at the Current Concepts in Ophthalmology meeting. “'There have been a lot of studies going back almost 30 years. [The risk] is about three to five cases per 10,000 in daily wear users.'” Lazzaro said a study found that the risk of infectious keratitis is increased 10-fold among patients who use extended-wear lenses once or twice in a 30-day period. Risk factors for contact lens-associated infectious keratitis include hypoxia, inappropriate lens fit and extended-wear use. Steroids and tobacco use also increase the risk of infectious keratitis, Lazzaro said.” Read more.