Antimicrobial preparation of the eye for surgery.

An important source of postoperative eye infection is the indigenous flora in and around the eye. Therefore, proper preparation of the operative field is crucial. Through an international survey we determined that ophthalmic surgeons used widely varying techniques in the pre-operative antimicrobial preparation of the eye. On the basis of these survey responses we have studied to date the effect on the bacterial flora of the conjunctiva of three regimens. Irrigation of the conjunctiva with saline tended to increase the ocular flora; instillation of silver protein solution had no significant effect. Povidone-iodine drops (5%) significantly reduced both colony and species counts.