Microbial contamination of donor eyes. A retrospective study

G. J. Pardos and M. A. Gallagher

The culture results of 4,167 donor eyes received over a two-year period are evaluated. Irrigation of the cornea and conjunctiva with 20 mL of sterile saline prior to enucleation decreased the incidence of bacterial contamination to 12.4%. The major contaminant is Staphylococcus epidermidis (66.4%). The incidence of endophthalmitis in the 1,880 corneal transplants performed during this time was 0.1%. The significance of irrigation and antibiotic use in processing donor corneas is discussed

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