Bugs from contact lenses can cause blindness

A bug that can cause blindness has been found to be resistant to a common contact lens cleaner Daily Mail reports. Researchers at the University of Liverpool and The Royal Liverpool University NHS Trust found a bacterial strain associated with more severe infections survived longer in a common contact lens disinfectant solution than previously thought.

They tested different strains of the keratitis-causing bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa for their ability to survive in the unnamed but commonly used contact lens cleaning solution. They also compared nine clinical strains of P. aeruginosa, taken from hospital patients in the UK, with P. aeruginosa strain 9027, the standard strain used by lens solution manufacturers to test their products.

The study, presented at the Society for General Microbiology Annual Conference in Liverpool, found the majority of clinical strains tested were killed within 10 minutes of being immersed in the contact lens solution. However, one clinical isolate - P. aeruginosa strain 39016 – which is associated with a more severe form of keratitis, was able to survive for more than four hours.

Scientists are now urging manufacturers to include this strain in their product testing to ensure contact cleaning solutions kill all P. aeruginosa strains. Professor Craig Winstanley said: ‘Microbial keratitis can be devastating for a patient - it is important that the risk of developing this condition is reduced in contact lens wearers by improving contact lens disinfectant solutions.’

The best ways to avoid contact lens-related infections is to maintain good hygiene and to avoid wearing them at night. It is also important not to keep the lenses longer than they are meant to be kept for. Experts also recommend that people do not buy their lenses over the internet but that they stick to sourcing them from their eye care practitioner.

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