Correlation of 55 samples of contact lens fluid with direct swabbing of the eye surface from symptomatic wearers of contact lenses

Background. The microbiological examination of contact lens storage solutio ns may reveal the etiological organisms responsible for keratitis and addit ionally harbour environmental contaminants. Patients and methods. From 1995 to 1998, conjunctival and corneal smears an d scrapes, as well as the storage solutions of 55 soft contact lens wearers were examined microbiologically in a prospective non-randomised cohort stu dy involving 53x unilateral and 2x bilateral cases of keratitis. Results. In 42 of the in-use contact lens storage solutions,the following o rganisms were found: 8x Bacillus sp., 7x P. aeruginosa and 8x other pseudom onads, 6x Alcaligenes xylosans, 4x Serratia liquefaciens, 4x Enterobacter s p., 4x coagulase negative staphylococci, 3x Serratia marcescens, 3x S. aure us, 2x Streptococcus faecalis,1x Klebsiella oxytoca and 5x Acanthameba. A s ignificant correlation of ocular cultures was found for Pseudomonas, Entero bacter, Serratia, S. aureus, S. faecalis and Acanthameba, but not for Bacil lus, Alcaligenes,and coagulase negative staphylococci. Fungi were not found . The more pronounced the clinical picture, the more Gram-negative bacteria were isolated. Conclusions. The microbiological examination of soft contact lens storage s olutions of 55 keratitis patients confirmed that the microbes responsible w ere to be found in the fluid, in addition to environmental contaminants.