2011 Postgraduate Research Competition - UNSW Science - The ...

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What is your contact lens storage case
Yvonne Wu and Fiona Stapleton
School of Optometry & Vision Science
Abstract
There are 125 million contact lens users worldwide. Epidemiological studies have confirmed
that poor contact lens case hygiene may cause microbial keratitis, a sight-threatening
condition. However, there are limited data on how to clean contact lens cases. This study
experimentally evaluated and compared the effectiveness of various cleaning procedures in
removing biofilm from contact lens cases, hoping to provide lens case hygiene guidelines for
lens wearers, practitioners and the industry.
Bacterial biofilms were formed on lens cases. Each lens case was then subjected to one of
the following cleaning methods: rinsing with disinfecting solution, rubbing with fingers, wiping
with tissues, air-drying for 6 hours, and recapping lids for 6 hours. The residual bacteria after
each cleaning procedure was quantified. The most effective cleaning procedures that were
then tested sequentially.
Air-drying and recapping the lids had no effect in removing biofilm (p>0.9). Rinsing with
solution elicited a marginal anti-bacterial action. Rubbing lens cases and wiping with tissues
were the most efficient, and these two cleaning methods combined provided the optimum
results (p