Inhibitory Effect of Short-Term Palpebral Margin Cleaning with Antibiotic Eye Drops on Ocular Surface Flora before Cataract Extraction: A New Preoperative Antibacterial Method

Objective To explore the clinical significance of the combined application of palpebral margin cleaning and antibiotic eye drops in inhibiting bacterial growth in the palpebral margin and conjunctival sacs before cataract extraction. Methods In this study, 61 patients (97 eyes) with age-related cataract who underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation were selected, and randomly grouped. In the experimental group, the combined application of palpebral margin cleaning with cotton pads and levofloxacin eye drops was given for three days before the surgery. In the control group, levofloxacin eye drops alone were applied for three consecutive days. Bacteria samples from the conjunctival sac and eyelid margins were cultivated and identified before and three days after taking antimicrobial measures, respectively. Results In the experimental group, the positive rates of the two bacteria samples were 100％ (50/50) and 40％ (20/50) before and 10％ (5/50) and 0％ (0/50) after the treatment. In the control group, the positive rates of the two bacteria samples were 97.9％ (46/47) and 29.8％ (14/47) before and 40.4％ (19/47) and 10.6％ (5/47) after the treatment. The positive rates between the two groups were not significantly different before taking antimicrobial measures (P = 0.485 and 0.395), while they were significantly different after taking antimicrobial measures (P = 0.001 and 0.024). Conclusion Combined application of eyelid and palpebral margin cleaning with cotton pads and antibiotic eye drops before cataract extraction imparted excellent antibacterial effects.