Jornal de Oftalmologia Clínica e Experimental
Acesso livre

Abstrato

The In Vitro Anti-Microbial Activity of Multipurpose Contact Lens Solutions against Standard Strains of Common Ocular Pathogens: The Effect of Duration from First Use

Eleonore B Iguban, Juan Pablo R Nañagas, Archimedes LD Agahan and Roslyn F De Mesa-Rodriguez

Objective: This study aims to determine the in vitro anti-microbial efficacy of opened multi-purpose contact lens solutions on common contact lens-related ocular pathogens. Specifically, this study intend to compare the log reduction in microbial concentration when exposed to newly opened, 5 months- opened, and 10 months–opened multi-purpose contact lens solutions.
Methods: This is a single-blind controlled experiment that evaluated five locally available multi-purpose contact lens solutions (MPS) in terms of their antimicrobial efficacy towards common contact lens-related ocular pathogens using the stand alone criteria. Newly opened, 5-month old, and 10 –month old multipurpose contact lens solutions were compared based on their effect in reducing microbial concentration at 6 hours of exposure.
Results: Multi-purpose contact lens solutions (MPS) containing polyquaternium-1 and myristamidopropyl dimethylamine (MAPD) as well as polyhexamide reduced the bacterial concentrations by 3 log and fungal concentrations by 1 log, enabling them to fulfill the stand alone criteria for disinfecting solutions. This antimicrobial efficacy was most evident with newly-opened contact lens solutions, followed by those opened for five months. Those which were opened for 10 months showed limited anti-microbial activity for both bacteria and fungi.
Conclusion: Multipurpose contact lens solutions demonstrated variability in their antimicrobial activity, which are significantly affected by the kind of MPS used and the duration from the date of first use. Multi-purpose contact lens solutions (MPS) containing polyquaternum and MAPD are preferred due to its broad spectrum efficacy and effectivity. They must be utilized before their expiration date since results have shown a decrease in anti-microbial activity with an increase in duration from first use. This is to prevent contact-lens related ocular infections brought about by exposure to humid climate.