The effectiveness of typical hand-cleaning methods on hydrogel contact lenses

Abstract

Contamination of hydrogel contact lenses occurs during handling of the lenses. A survey was conducted to determine the hand-cleaning methods used by hydrogel contact lens wearers prior to insertion and removal of the lenses. This study was implemented to evaluate the relative effectiveness of several methods: no hand washing, use of water only, Ivory (bar), and Dial (antibacterial liquid). Microbial contamination of the lenses was evaluated by culturing the contact lenses after employing various hand-cleaning techniques. The presence of bacteria, subsequent surface area of growth, density of growth, and types of bacteria were evaluated. The results suggested that use of antibacterial liquid soap significantly reduced the bacterial contamination of lenses as compared to use of non-antibacterial soap, water only, or no hand washing prior to lens handling (p = 0.001) (t-test).