Efficacy of daily hygiene routine using cleansing wipes in the reduction of eyelid bacterial load

Background- This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of using a cleansing eyelid wipe to reduce microbial load in healthy subjects. Methods- A single-center, prospective study was conducted. Twenty healthy subjects were assigned to wipe their periocular area (eyelid, eyelashes and lid margin) twice a day with a commercial sterile wipe for 5 consecutive days. Bacterial load (total aerobic bacteria and Staphylococcus genus) was recovered from the same wipes and was measured on day 1, 3 and 5, with day 1 serving as an internal control. Both eyes were assessed independently, resulting in a total of 40 samples. Microbial evaluation was performed by culture on Tryptone Soy Agar (TSA) and Mannitol Salt Agar (MSA) plates. Results- Positive and negative controls rendered expected results thus validating this innovative extraction procedure. Microbial growth on both media revealed that the great majority of microorganisms detected belong to the genus Staphylococcus. Bacterial load reduction was significant (Mann-Whitney test p < 0.05) for both microorganisms between days 1 to 3, days 3 to 5 and days 1 to 5. Measurements at day 3 revealed a reduction on bacterial load of total aerobes and Staphylococcus spp. by 58.7% and 56.5% respectively. Moreover, on day 5, bacterial load showed a mean reduction of 80.8% and 82.7% on total aerobes and Staphylococcus spp. respectively. Furthermore, on day 5, 42.5% of the eyes showed ≥ 90% reduction in total aerobes and 42.5% for Staphylococcus spp. On the third day 25% of the volunteers showed ≥ 90% reduction of aerobes microbial load at least in one eye and the percentage was 15% for Staphylococcus spp. On the fifth day those values arise to 50% for total aerobes and 65% for Staphylococcus spp.Conclusions- The study demonstrates the efficacy of the eyelid hygiene with commercial cleansing wipes in significantly reducing (p < 0.05) bacterial load in the periocular area after 3 days of use, with further reduction on the fifth day. Therefore, these wipes could be recommended in situations in which adequate of palpebral hygiene is needed.