Comparative efficacy of two different topical povidone-iodine 5% regimens in reducing conjunctival bacterial flora: A randomized parallel double-masked clinical trial.

Introduction: The increasing prevalence of multi-resistant bacteria is a major public health concern. Infections acquired during ophthalmic surgery are devastating. The purpose of the current study is to compare the proportion of eyes with negative bacterial cultures on all tested media after 1 versus 3 sequential drops of povidone-iodine (PI) 5% into the inferior conjunctival fornix.