Soon there may be a novel way to reduce the risk of contact lens-related eye infections: antibacterial contact lenses.
Researchers in Australia have discovered that incorporating melimine, a cationic peptide, into the the lens material of silicone hydrogel contact lenses reduced the incidence of contact lens induced acute red eye (CLARE) and contact lens induced peripheral corneal ulcers (CLPU) in rabbit and guinea pig eyes fit with contact lenses and exposed to common infection-causing bacteria.
Peptides are naturally occurring organic molecule formed by the linking of two to 50 amino acids. (Larger sequences of amino acids are called proteins.)
Cationic peptides range in size from 12 to 50 amino acids and have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, including protection from bacteria, viruses and fungi. “Cationic” refers to the positive charge of the molecules, which enables them to interact with and affect negatively charged bacterial membranes.
The researchers concluded that incorporating the cationic peptide melimine into contact lenses may prevent the growth of bacteria on contacts and reduce the incidence and severity of contact lens-related eye infections.
Additional studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of this approach and the feasibility of commercially developing such lenses.
Source: In vivo performance of melimine as an antimicrobial coating for contact lenses in models of CLARE and CLPU. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. (Published online ahead of print August 26, 2009.)
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