Evaluation of the preserving efficacy of lubricant eye drops with a novel preservative system.

Products provided in multidose containers must be adequately preserved in order to prevent contamination during repeated use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of a lubricant eye drop formulation without traditional preservatives to control and prevent contamination under extreme microbial conditions. Bottles of a new lubricant eye drop with a novel preservative system (SYSTANE FREE Lubricant Eye Drops, Alcon Laboratories, Inc.

Biocide uptake in contact lenses and loss of fungicidal activity during storage of contact lenses.

Purpose: With recent outbreaks of Fusarium keratitis related to contact lens wear, studies were conducted to determine the biocide uptake during lens storage, and the resulting effect on antifungal activity of related products.

Methods: ACUVUE 2 (etafilcon A) soft, hydrophilic contact lenses (group IV) were soaked from 1 hour to 7 days in OPTI-FREE Express and OPTI-FREE RepleniSH multipurpose disinfecting solutions with POLYQUAD (polyquaternium-1) and ALDOX (myristamidopropyl dimethylamine) biocides and multipurpose solutions, Bausch & Lomb ReNu with MoistureLoc (Alexidine), ReNu MultiPlus (polyhexamethylene biguanide [PHMB]), and AMO Complete MoisturePLUS (PHMB). Storage solutions were tested to evaluate the effect of preservative uptake on the residual biocide activity against Fusarium solani.

Contribution of regimen steps to disinfection of hydrophilic contact lenses.

The effect of regimen steps on overall performance of contact lens disinfection processes was evaluated. Hydrophilic lenses were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Candida albicans, or Fusarium solani. Contributions of regimen steps and rinse volumes to disinfection abilities of OPTI-FREE EXPRESS, Solo-care Plus (Ciba Vision), Complete (Allergan), and ReNu MultiPlus (Bausch & Lomb) multi-purpose solutions were examined.

Anatomy of a regimen: consideration of multipurpose solutions during non-compliant use.

Consumers are often non-compliant with instructions for contact lens care products. This study explores the antimicrobial capacity of multipurpose solutions using variable use conditions. Opti-Free Express (Alcon) Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Solution with Polyquad (Alcon) and Aldox (Alcon) antimicrobial system and products containing PHMB (ReNu MultiPlus, Solo-care, and Complete multipurpose solutions) were evaluated.

Overview of the potency of moxifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.5% (VIGAMOX).

Antibiotics have been the mainstay of therapy for infectious diseases since their origins in the 1940s. As microorganisms changed and resistance developed, more advanced antibiotics were ultimately needed to provide adequate coverage and spectrum. By selecting optimal antibiotics and dosing regimens, clinicians can avoid treatment failures and adverse events and can help prevent the emergence of further antibiotic resistance.

Future of ophthalmic anti-infective therapy and the role of moxifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.5% (VIGAMOX).

The vintage antibiotics that were available in the 1950s-1980s were sometimes toxic, had limited spectra, and were bacteriostatic agents, and they have been replaced by significantly broader-spectrum therapies. We ask more of our future antibiotic products for ophthalmology: they must be 1) broad spectrum, 2) convenient to use, 3) useful prophylactically, 4) effective therapeutically, 5) benzalkonium chloride-free, 6) comfortable, and 7) nontoxic. The emergence of antibiotic resistance has focused us on more potent agents effective against resistant strains of bacteria.

Ocular pharmacokinetics of moxifloxacin after topical treatment of animals and humans.

The ocular penetration and pharmacokinetics of moxifloxacin in comparison to other fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, norfloxacin, levofloxacin, and lomefloxacin) have been determined by in vitro and ex vivo techniques, as well as in animal and human studies. This article reviews the original pharmacokinetics work performed by Alcon and other studies reported in the ocular fluoroquinolone literature. The results consistently demonstrate higher maximum concentrations for moxifloxacin relative to the other fluoroquinolones in ocular tissues with levels well above its minimum inhibitory concentrations for relevant ocular pathogens.

In vitro and in vivo potency of moxifloxacin and moxifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.5%, a new topical fluoroquinolone.

Fluoroquinolones are a class of synthetic antibacterial agents that were approved for ocular therapy in 1991 and have become popular therapy for the treatment and prevention of various ocular infections. These agents are synthetic, broad-spectrum, rapidly bactericidal, and have good penetration into ocular tissues. Their main mechanism of action is the inhibition of bacterial enzymes needed for bacterial DNA synthesis.

Amoebicidal activity of multipurpose contact lens solutions.

Purpose: To compare the amoebicidal activity of two commercially available multipurpose contact lens care systems, by using cyst and trophozoite growth of two strains each of Acanthamoeba castellanii and Acanthamoeba polyphaga.

Methods: Trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba species, isolated from corneal ulcers and an ATCC strain, were exposed to two commonly used multipurpose solutions and a saline control for 4 or 6 hours at ambient temperature. After neutralization of the disinfecting solution, track forming units were enumerated on Escherichia coli-seeded nutrient agar plates.

Topical antibacterial therapy for mycobacterial keratitis: potential for surgical prophylaxis and treatment.

Background: Mycobacterium chelonae and Mycobacterium fortuitum are the 2 most commonly implicated species of nontuberculous mycobacteria in cases of bacterial keratitis.

Objectives: This article summarizes available data on the in vitro antibacterial activity against M chelonae or M fortuitum of 2 agents-amikacin and clarithromycin-that have been used in the treatment of bacterial keratitis. In addition, the article reviews the in vitro activity of 5 commercially available topical ocular fluoro-quinolones (in order of availability, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, levofloxacin, gatifloxacin, and moxifloxacin) that may have potential in the surgical prophylaxis and treatment of keratitis caused by M chelonae or M fortuitum.

Clinical and epidemiological advantages of culturing bacterial keratitis.

Purpose: To examine how the corneal culture result is associated with the antibacterial treatment response rate of ulcerative keratitis in a prospective cohort study and to determine whether culture confirmation affects the relative treatment effect in randomized clinical trials of bacterial keratitis.

Methods: The influence of a positive bacterial culture on the rates of antibacterial improvement and cure was estimated by proportional hazards regression among 608 patients with ulcerative keratitis treated with topical ciprofloxacin monotherapy. The interaction of culture confirmation on the relative cure rates of 735 patients enrolled in 4 clinical trials comparing fluoroquinolone monotherapy to combined cephalosporin and aminoglycoside therapy was evaluated by metaregression.

Influence of fluoroquinolone susceptibility on the therapeutic response of fluoroquinolone-treated bacterial keratitis.

Objective: To estimate how a corneal isolate's minimal inhibitory concentration for a fluoroquinolone agent affects the rate of clinical response of bacterial keratitis to fluoroquinolone therapy.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: Six hundred sixty-three individuals with suspected bacterial keratitis underwent diagnostic corneal scraping and were treated with topical 0.

Review of standard for evaluating the effectiveness of contact lens disinfectants.

A new standard has been developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for evaluating contact lens disinfectants. This paper reviews the ISO 14729 standard and applies it to marketed products. The historical significance, justifications, scope, interpretations, application, and worthiness are discussed.

The effectiveness of tobramycin and Ocuflox in a prophylaxis model of Staphylococcus keratitis.

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of prophylactic antibiotic treatment prior to intra-corneal infection with Staphylococcus aureus.

Methods: One topical drop of Tobrex (0.3% tobramycin), tobramycin (0.

Ocular bioavailability of ciprofloxacin in sustained release formulations.

A novel sustained release delivery system of ciprofloxacin for the eye was developed. The system consists of a viscosity enhancer (carbopol gel or hydroxypropylmethylcellulose solution) plus a penetration enhancer (dodecylmaltoside) to overcome penetration barriers and loss due to wash-out and thus achieve the desired ciprofloxacin ocular absorption. The present studies were designed to assess the ocular penetration and bioavailability of ciprofloxacin in sustained release formulations.

Methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of contact lens care solutions and other compounds against Acanthamoeba: a review of the literature.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the literature concerning the methods used to evaluate contact lens care solutions against Acanthamoeba. Acanthamoeba keratitis is a potential threat, with 85% of the cases being reported in contact lens wearers.

Methods: Several studies from the published literature that evaluated contact lens disinfectants were reviewed.

Antimicrobial comparison of a new multi-purpose disinfecting solution to a 3% hydrogen peroxide system.

Purpose: We compared the antimicrobial activity of a new multi-purpose disinfection solution (OPTI-FREE EXPRESS with ALDOX) to a 3% hydrogen peroxide disinfecting system. The antimicrobial ingredients in the new solution are polyquaternium-1 and myristamidopropyl dimethylamine.

Methods: The solutions were tested for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus sp.

A comparative study of the microbiologic effectiveness of chemical disinfectants and peroxide-neutralizer systems.

We evaluated the antimicrobial activity of chemical and hydrogen peroxide-neutralizer contact lens disinfection systems. The acute activity, storage, and recontamination potential of the two disinfection methods were compared by challenging the disinfectants with Staphylococcus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Candida spp.

Efficacy of topical chloramphenicol and tobramycin ophthalmic solutions in preventing severe Staphylococcus aureus keratitis in rabbits.

Various marketed chloramphenicol ophthalmic solutions were compared and various dilutions of Tobrex Ophthalmic Solution were tested for effectiveness in a Staphylococcus aureus rabbit keratitis model. Anesthetized rabbits were each infected intracorneally with 10(4) Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29737 cells. Treatment groups consisted of five or six rabbits (10 or 12 eyes) per group.

Evaluation of BL-P1654: a semisynthetic penicillin as a topical ocular therapy.

BL-P1654 is a new semisynthetic penicillin that possesses broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. An in vitro profile of BL-P1654 was established against strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, three bacteria frequently associated with infections of the eye. The effectiveness of BL-P1654 in preventing the development of experimentally-induced keratitis by each of these bacteria was determined.

BB-K 122: in vitro and in vivo activity against ocular pathogens.

BB-K 122 is a new aminoglycoside antibiotic and an analogue of amikacin. This study evaluated the in vitro and in vivo activity of BB-K 122 and gentamicin against important ocular pathogens. BB-K 122 and gentamicin demonstrated generally equivalent in vitro antibacterial activity, except that gentamicin was more active against Streptococcus sp.

Effectiveness of neomycin and polymyxin ointments: prevention of Staphylococcus Aureus keratitis in rabbits.

Combinations of neomycin sulfate and polymyxin B sulfate are commonly used in ophthalmic ointments for the treatment or the prevention of bacterial keratoconjunctivitis. In this study we evaluated the effectiveness of various ointments containing these two antibiotics, alone and in combination, in preventing Staphylococcus aureus keratitis in rabbits. Rabbit eyes were infected by intracorneal inoculation, treated topically with ointment and graded by gross observation 24 hours after inoculation.