Microbial adherence to cosmetic contact lenses

Ka Yin Chan, Hie Hua Wong, Maureen Boost

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

46 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aim: To investigate whether cosmetic contact lenses (CCL) with surface pigments affect microbial adherence. Method: Fifteen brands of CCL were purchased from optical, non-optical retail outlets, and via the Internet. A standardized rub-off test was performed on each CCL (five lenses per brand) to confirm the location of the pigments. The rub-off test comprised gentle rubbing on the surfaces of each CCL with wetted cotton buds for a maximum of 20 rubs per surface. A new set of CCL (five lenses per brand) were incubated in Pseudomonas aeruginosa overnight. Viable counts of adhered bacteria were determined by the number of colony-forming units (CFU) on agar media on each lens. The adherence of P. aeruginosa as well as Staphylococcus aureus and Serratia marcescens to three brands of CCL (A-C) (five lenses per brand) were also compared to their adherences on their clear counterparts. Results: Only two of the 15 brands of CCL tested (brands B and C) had pigments that did not detach with the rub-off test. The remaining 13 brands of CCL all failed the rub-off test and these lenses showed higher P. aeruginosa adherence (8.7×105-1.9×106CFU/lens). Brands B and C lenses showed at least six times less bacterial adhesion than the other 13 brands. Compared to their clear counterparts, bacterial adherence to brands B and C lenses did not differ significantly, whereas brand A lenses showed significantly higher adherence. Conclusion: Surface pigments on CCL resulted in significantly higher bacterial adherence.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)267-272
Number of pages6
JournalContact Lens and Anterior Eye
Volume37
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2014

Keywords

  • Bacterial adherence
  • Coloured contact lenses
  • Cosmetic contact lenses
  • Decorative contact lenses
  • Microbial adherence

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ophthalmology
  • Optometry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Microbial adherence to cosmetic contact lenses'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this