Hygienic condition of multipurpose solutions for soft contact lenses among Saudi Arabian university students

The use of multipurpose solutions for cleaning and disinfecting soft contact lenses has replaced single purpose solutions. University students in the different Saudi Arabian Universities are permanent customers of the contact lenses wearers. However, the practice of misuse and carelessness in following contact lenses manufacturer instructions is very evident. This study investigated the hygienic condition of two multipurpose solutions with different antimicrobial agents to elucidate the fate of misuse and the expected health complications. Two solutions were selected MeniCare Soft solution from Menicon and ReNu MoistureLoc from Bausch and Lomb. Microbial analysis of the solutions revealed the presence of three bacterial species identified as Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella oxytocaand Escherichia coli and two fungal species were identified Candida albicans, andMalassezia globosa.   Key words: Contact lens, Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella oxytoca, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Malassezia globosa.