[Bacterial flora of the eyelids following preoperative disinfection].

After careful preoperative disinfection of the periorbita, the eye, and the lids, cultures were taken from the upper and lower lash bases of 100 patients waiting for intraocular operations. Despite the careful disinfection 36% of the cultures from the upper and 48% of those from the lower lash bases were positive. A method of covering the lids adequately with adhesive material is recommended as a means of avoiding this potential source of infection.