Background: This investigation compared the efficacy of three widely used contact lens disinfection systems against an ocular isolate of Acanthamoeba polyphaga.
Methods: Twenty-seven worn Ciba NewVues lenses were quartered, heat sterilized and inoculated with Acanthamoeba. Lens quarters were then randomly assigned to three experimental groups, with Group A lenses exposed to cleaner and saline rinse only, Group B to disinfection only, and Group C to both cleaner and disinfection. One quarter of each lens served as a control and the other three quarters were experimental. Quantification of viable Acanthamoeba remaining on the lens was performed after each step of the disinfection process.
Results: Group A lenses showed no significant difference between the treatments, or the treatments and the control. Group B lenses demonstrated a significant difference (p = 0.0001) between the treatments and the control. In Group C (cleaning and disinfection), the control lens quarters were significantly different (p = 0.037) from the experimental group, but there was no significant difference between the treatments.
Conclusions: All three disinfection regimens were very effective in reducing the number of viable Acanthamoeba on the contact lens surface. In the absence of proper cleaning (Group B), AOSept was the most effective of the three. These results also show the importance of thoroughly rubbing the contact lens surface to decrease the number of Acanthamoeba.