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A bug that can cause blindness has been found to be resistant to a common contact lens cleaner.More than 6,000 people in the UK suffer from a bacterial infection that causes microbial keratitis - an inflammation and ulceration of the cornea that can lead to loss of vision.
Contact lens wearers have been identified as being at particular risk and more than three million people in the UK wear them.
A bug that can cause blindness is resistant to a common contact lens cleaner, new research shows
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.
The bug resistance means contact lens wearers are at risk of an infection which causes inflammation and ulceration of the cornea
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.’
Further research is planned to investigate other strains of the bacteria and how resistant they are.
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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