Bacterial Pathogens Associated With Eyeglasses and Risks of Infection among Staff and Students of a Private University in South-West Nigeria

Ocular infections have been associated with bacterial contamination of eyeglasses. This study assessed bacterial contaminants associated with the eyeglasses of staffs and students of Babcock University, Ilishan–Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria. A total of 100 participants comprising 33 males and 67 females (aged 16–76 years) were recruited for the study after obtained their written informed consents. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Babcock University Health Research Ethics Committee (Ethical registration number: BUHREC484/18). A structured questionnaire was used to gather the participants’ demographic and clinical information. A total of 100 eyeglasses were examined for bacterial contamination using standard bacteriological methods. A one–way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Turkey–Kramer Multiple Comparisons Test were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version–18 (SPSS–18.0) software to determine the differences between the bacterial loads among the eyeglasses of study participants. The percentage of eyeglass lenses with unacceptable levels of contamination (>105CFU/mL) (19%) was significantly lower (P<0.05) than those with acceptable levels of contamination (<104CFU/mL) (46%). While, the percentage of eyeglass handles with unacceptable level of contamination (49%) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than those with acceptable levels of contamination (7%). Most of the isolated bacterial were sensitive to the antibiotics tested. Risk factors associated with bacterial contamination of eyeglasses include: exposure to dusty environment, irregular cleaning and poor compliance with eyeglass care guidelines. The outcome of this study further underscore the claim that eyes glasses may serve as potential vehicles for bacteria capable of causing ocular infections.