Contact lens disinfection by ultraviolet light.

A 253.7-nm ultraviolet light with an intensity of 1,100 microW/cm2 was tested for its germicidal activity against contact lenses and storage solutions contaminated with various corneal pathogens. The exposure time necessary to reduce a concentration of organisms from 10(6)/ml to less than 10/ml was 30 seconds for Staphylococcus aureus, 60 seconds for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 84 seconds for Candida albicans. The time necessary to sterilize a suspension of 10(4)/ml Acanthamoeba polyphaga was less than three minutes with this technique. Four brands of soft contact lenses were exposed to ultraviolet light for over eight hours without changing their appearance, comfort, or refraction.