In vitro adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to surface passivated poly(methyl methacrylate) intraocular lenses

Bacterial attachment to intraocular lenses (IOLs) can be a cause of infectious endophthalmitis following cataract surgery. In this study, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus adhered in vitro to untreated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and to surface passivated PMMA lenses. The IOLs were placed in bacterial suspensions (1 x 10(7) cfu/ml) in vitro. Significantly fewer S. aureus attached (P < .05) to the normal PMMA IOLs (4,535 +/- [SD] 3,052 bacteria/mm2) and to passivated PMMA IOLs (8,720 +/- 10,040 bacteria/mm2) than did P. aeruginosa (normal PMMA: 67,808 +/- 45,070 bacteria/mm2, passivated PMMA: 85,795 +/- 70,647 bacteria/mm2). The differences in bacterial attachment to surface passivated IOLs and to untreated PMMA lenses were not significant.