Contact lens hygiene – small effort, large impact

Purpose:

The aim is to update the knowledge of hygiene guidelines related to contact lens wear.

Material and Methods:

The following literature review highlights the causes of microbial keratitis and provides an overview of the current research on contact lens hygiene, with particular emphasis on the use of tap water. In addition, a case report is used to highlight rare consequences of non-­compliant behavior.

Results:

The main causative agents of microbial keratitis are bacteria, such as staphylococci and pseudomonas aeruginosa, fungi, and acanthamoeba. Because infection often requires rapid medical therapy and can lead to complications that reduce visual acuity, great importance should be placed on patient counseling and preventative measures. This includes conscientious hand hygiene, information on the problem tap water, and the use of the correct care product with necessary compliance.

Conclusion:

Good and correct contact lens hygiene is essential for long-term, low complication and safe contact lens wear. Especially the care of the contact lens case should not be ignored. To improve patient compliance, it is important to know the exact reasons for any non-compliant behavior in order to develop adapted and individual strategies. It is also relevant that hygiene guidelines are standardized to avoid confusing patients with different recommendations.