A new investigation finds that some contact lens solutions do not provide protection from Acanthamoeba — a free-living organism commonly found in soil, freshwater lakes and streams, seawater, tap water and hot tubs — that can cause a painful vision-threatening form of keratitis.
In 2007, a multi-state outbreak of Acanthamoeba keratitis led to an investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The investigators found an association with the use of Complete MoisturePlus multipurpose contact lens solution, manufactured by Abbott Medical Optics (formerly Advanced Medical Optics), which has since been withdrawn from the market.
Recently, researchers at CDC compared 11 different contact lens solutions for their ability to kill three Acanthamoeba species associated with the 2007 outbreak. Of the 11 solutions tested, only the two containing hydrogen peroxide showed any disinfection ability for cysts of two of the three Acanthamoeba species.
The researchers said a “systematic method for evaluating contact lens solutions will reduce the chance that inefficacious solutions are available.”
The study was reported in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
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