Surface Interactions on Hydrogel Extended Wear Contact Lenses

ABSTRACT The microbial flora and fauna of 25 high water content nonionic “soft” contact lenses worn by patients on an extended wear basis, 4 hand‐cleaned patient‐worn lenses, and 4 improperly maintained lenses were compared. Almost all the patient‐worn lenses (24 of 25) were free of viable microorganisms, whereas all the hand‐cleaned lenses (4 of 4) were contaminated with different microorganisms. This study showed that hand contact is a major source of microbial contamination of a lens and that usually the hand‐transported micro‐organisms do not survive permanently on the lens in a healthy, normal eye. Improperly maintained lenses demonstrated pathogenic microbial associations. Proof of the eye's potent antimicrobial environment was demonstrated. Thus, microorganism‐lens associations are largely due to lens handling and inappropriate maintenance regimens. Typically there are few microorganisms on an extended wear soft lens while it is being worn.