The root cause of the higher rate of having eye infections among contact lens wearers has been identified by a recent study.
Researchers at New York Langone Medical Center conducted a study that aimed to differentiate the diversity of bacteria that constitute the human microbiome of contact lens users and non-wearers, as per Science Daily.
The study involved nine contact lens users and 11 non-users. The researchers examined the conjunctiva or the eye surface of the subjects to determine the type and count of microorganisms present. They have identified a dissimilar set of microbes in the eyes of people who wore contact lens daily.
The study also revealed that the conjunctiva of contact lens wearers had more bacterial count than the skin under the eye.
Three times the usual count of microorganisms including Methylobacterium, Lactobacillus, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas were also noted on the eye surface of the contact lens users.
After measurement, results have been plotted on a graph and findings showed that the composition of the eye microbiomes of contact lens users was similar to the microbiome of the wearer's skin.
On the other hand, the change in the microbiome of the non-wearers was less than those who wore contact lens.
New York University Langone microbiologist Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello came into a conclusion that placing a foreign object like a contact lens on the eye is not a "neutral act."
The findings also link to the reason why contact lens users are more inclined to develop eye infections, as opposed to non-wearers, as per Independent.
Dominguez-Bello is also interested to determine the main cause of the changes in the eye microbiomes. Possible factors include the fingers that touch the eye, the direct pressure coming from the lens, and the kind of bacterial adaptation.