Study of conjunctival flora in anophthalmic patients: influence on the comfort of the socket
Purpose To investigate the relationship between conjunctival flora and comfort of the socket in anophthalmic patients. Methods A cross-sectional clinical study including 60 patients with unilateral anophthalmia who wear a prosthetic eye. From each patient three microbiological samples were taken fro...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology 2017-08, Vol.255 (8), p.1669-1679 |
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Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | Purpose
To investigate the relationship between conjunctival flora and comfort of the socket in anophthalmic patients.
Methods
A cross-sectional clinical study including 60 patients with unilateral anophthalmia who wear a prosthetic eye. From each patient three microbiological samples were taken from the lower conjunctival sac (healthy eye, pre-prosthesis, and retro-prosthesis space of socket). The 180 samples obtained were cultured. Samples from a randomized subgroup of 29 patients were measured by spectrophotometry at 540 nm after 48 h of growth, to determine their microbial density (MD). The grade of comfort of the socket (GCS) of each patient was established by a questionnaire. Epidemiological and clinical data of the anophthalmic socket and artificial eye care of each patient were also collected.
Results
MD decreased in healthy eyes (0.213 ± 0.201,
P
= 0.004) compared with the pre-prosthesis (0.402 ± 0.323) and retro-prosthesis (0.438 ± 0.268) samples. Pre-prosthesis MD correlated with retro-prosthesis MD (
R
= 0.401,
P
= 0.031) and healthy eye MD (
R
= 0.482,
P
= 0.008), and it was also related to poor GCS (
P
= 0.017). Aerobic Gram-negative bacteria in retro-prosthesis samples of patients with poor GCS was higher than in patients with good or fair GCS (
P
= 0.008). In the same samples, coagulase-negative staphylococci proportion (excluding
S. epidermidis
) increased in patients with good GCS (
P
= 0.030).
Conclusions
Socket microflora is related to GCS. Increased pathogenic flora, especially Gram-negative bacteria, and high MD are related to discomfort, while coagulase-negative staphylococci (other than
S. epidermidis
) are associated with comfort. |
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ISSN: | 0721-832X 1435-702X |
DOI: | 10.1007/s00417-017-3708-8 |