Contamination of 500 ml bottles of unpreserved saline

摘要

To investigate the potential for microbial contamination of unpreserved saline in multi‐use 500 ml bottles during normal patient use, we distributed test and control bottles of five commercial brands of unpreserved saline to 10 randomly selected contact lens patients.Patients were instructed to use saline from the test bottles for normal lens care for one to four weeks. Control botdes were opened at the same times as test bottles, but were not used. Heavy bacterial contamination of the saline (>105cfu/ml) was found after one week of use of test and control botdes with flat necks and wide openings. Although saline from botdes with raised necks and nozzle or pin‐hole openings showed less frequent contamination, all test botdes of these types were contaminated after four weeks of patient use. We conclude that all multi‐use botdes of saline tested can be a potential source of ocular infection, and that contact lens patients should be discouraged from using saline in this form. Consideration should also be given to removal of these products from the m