Original Article

Comparison of microbiome isolated from the conjunctiva, contact lens and lens storage case of symptomatic and asymptomatic contact lens users

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Contact lenses (CLs) are increasingly being used for cosmetic or therapeutic purposes. Lack of compliance and poor hygiene towards lens care is strongly associated with microbial contamination and has been proved to result in eye infections. The present study was done to compare the microbial flora between symptomatic and asymptomatic contact lens users. The study also attempts to analyze the contact lens hygiene practices of CL users.
Materials and Methods: Six samples each were collected from both the eyes, CLs and lens cases of 40 CL users (n=240) divided into two groups based on symptoms present as- asymptomatic CL users and symptomatic CL users. Organisms were identified using standard microbiological techniques.
Results: The proportion GNB obtained in symptomatic CL users was significantly higher when compared to asymptomatic CL users (p-value= <0.003). In 56.2% eyes, the microbial flora of conjunctiva was similar to either the contact lens isolate/storage case. Enterococcal microbial keratitis was seen in one case.
Conclusion: There was significant microbial contamination present in CL users despite compliance to contact lens hygiene practices. There were a significant number of bacteria (p-value <0.001) present which were resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, and cefotaxime in both the groups.

1. Rahim N, Bano H, Naqvi BS. Bacterial contamination among soft contact lens wearer. Pak J Ophthalmol 2008; 24: 93-96.
2. Willcox MD, Holden BA. Contact lens related corneal infections. Biosci Rep 2001; 21:445-461.
3. Szczotka-Flynn LB, Pearlman E, Ghannoum M. Microbial contamination of contact lenses, lens care solutions, and their accessories: A literature review. Eye Contact Lens 2010; 36:116-129.
4. Wu P, Stapleton F, Willcox MD. The causes of and cures for contact lens-induced peripheral ulcer. Eye Contact Lens 2003; 29(1 Suppl):S63-66.
5. Edwards K, Keay L, Naduvilath T, Snibson G, Taylor H, Stapleton F. Characteristics of and risk factors for contact lens-related microbial keratitis in a tertiary referral hospital. Eye (Lond) 2009; 23:153-160.
6. Stapleton F, Keay L, Edwards K, Naduvilath T, Dart JK, Brian G, et al. The incidence of contact lens-related microbial keratitis in Australia. Ophthalmology 2008; 115: 1655-1662.
7. Whitcher JP, Srinivasan M, Upadhyay MP. Microbial keratitis. In: Johnson GJ, Minassian DC, Weale RA, West SK, editors. The epidemiology of eye diseases. 2nd Ed. London: Arnold; 2003; 190-195.
8. Dart J. The inside story: why contact lens cases become contaminated. Cont Lens Anterior Eye 1997; 20:113-118.
9. Stapleton F, Dart JKG, Seal DV, Matheson M. Epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in contact lens wearers. Epidemiol Infect 1995; 114: 395-402.
10. Liesegang TJ. Contact lens-related microbial keratitis: part I: epidemiology. Cornea 1997; 16:125-131.
11. Stapleton F, Jalbert I, Cole N. The epidemiology of contact lens related infiltrates. Optom Vis Sci 2007; 84:257-272.
12. Hall BJ, Jones L. Contact lens cases: the missing link in contact lens safety? Eye Contact Lens 2010; 36:101-105.
13. Kugadas A, Gadjeva M. Impact of microbiome on ocular health. Ocul Surf 2016; 14:342-349.
14. Willcox M. Characterization of the normal microbiota of the ocular surface. Exp Eye Res 2013; 117:99-105.
15. Shin H, Price K, Albert L, Dodick J, Park L, Dominguez-Bello M. Changes in the eye microbiota associated with contact lens wearing. MBio 2016; 7(2):e00198.
16. Koneman EW, Allen SD, Janda WM, Shreckenberger PC, Winn WC. Colour atlas and textbook of diagnostic microbiology, 7 th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven Publishers; 2017;69-113.
17. Lipener C, Nagoya FR, Zamboni FJ, Lewinski R, Kwitko S, Uras R. Bacterial contamination in soft contact lens wearers. CLAO J 1995; 21: 122-124.
18. Emina MO, Idu FK. Bacteria and parasites in contact lenses of asymptomatic wearers in Nigeria. J Optom 2011; 4: 69-74.
19. Ibrahim I A-J, AL-Hadaria SA, Fayidh MA. Bacterial contamination of contact lenses among some female students and employees of Ibn AL Haitham, University of Baghdad. Ibn Al Haitham J Pure Appl Sci 2008; 21: 9-22.
20. Thakur DV, Gaikwad UN. Microbial contamination of soft contact lenses & accessories in asymptomatic contact lens users. Indian J Med Res 2014; 140:307-309.
21. Rau G, Seedor J, Shah M, Ritterband D, Koplin R. Incidence and clinical characteristics of Enterococcus keratitis. Cornea 2008; 27:895-899.
Files
IssueVol 11 No 5 (2019) QRcode
SectionOriginal Article(s)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v11i5.1951
Keywords
Microbial keratitis; Symptomatic contact lens users; Contact lens associated ocular microbiome; Dryness
Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
1.
Raksha L, Shantala G, Gangashettappa N, Ambica R, Sinha D. Comparison of microbiome isolated from the conjunctiva, contact lens and lens storage case of symptomatic and asymptomatic contact lens users. Iran J Microbiol. 2019;11(5):349-356.