Chemical preparation of the eye in ophthalmic surgery. II. Effectiveness of mild silver protein solution.

Although a mild silver protein solution (Argyrol) has been used for a number of years and is still used by many ophthalmic surgeons, its efficiency as an antibacterial agent on the conjunctiva has not been scientifically evaluated as part of the preoperative chemical preparation of the eye. We studied the effectiveness of a mild silver protein solution on the conjunctival flora of 32 patients in a masked fashion. By bacteriologic analysis, the mild silver protein solution was found to be no more effective in reducing the number of species and colonies in the treated eye than in the untreated eye. While the mild silver protein solution does stain mucus and other debris on the eye to facilitate irrigation, this study did not demonstrate a significant bactericidal effect.