Effectiveness of Commonly Used Contact Lens Disinfectants Against SARS-CoV-2

Judith M J Veugen, Rudy M M A Nuijts, Frank J H M van den Biggelaar, Marlies Gijs, Paul H M Savelkoul, Petra F G Wolffs, Mor M Dickman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of commonly used contact lens disinfectants against severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

METHODS: The efficacy of five disinfectant solutions against SARS-CoV-2 was tested in the presence and absence of contact lenses (CLs). Three types of unused CLs (hard gas permeable, soft hydrogel, and soft silicone hydrogel) and worn silicone hydrogel CLs were tested. Contact lenses were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and disinfected at various times, with and without rubbing and rinsing, as per manufacturer's instructions. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and viability polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were applied to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA and viral infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, respectively.

RESULTS: In the presence of SARS-CoV-2-infected CLs, no SARS-CoV-2 RNA could be detected when disinfectant solutions were used according to the manufacturer's instructions. When SARS-Co-V2-infected CLs were disinfected without the rub-and-rinse step, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected at almost each time interval with each disinfecting solution tested for both new and worn CLs. In the absence of CLs, viable SARS-CoV-2 was detected with all disinfectant solutions except Menicon Progent at all time points.

CONCLUSIONS: Disinfectant solutions effectively disinfect CLs from SARS-CoV-2 if manufacturer's instructions are followed. The rub-and-rinse regimen is mainly responsible for disinfection. The viability PCR may be useful to indicate potential infectiousness.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)362-368
Number of pages7
JournalEye & Contact Lens-Science and Clinical Practice
Volume48
Issue number9
Early online date15 Aug 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2022

Keywords

  • ACANTHAMOEBA
  • Contact lens disinfectant solutions
  • Contact lenses
  • Efficiency
  • KERATITIS
  • RISK-FACTORS
  • SARS-CoV-2

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