[Disinfecting contact tonometers - a systematic review]

The aim of this study is to provide the best available evidence on how to disinfect contact Goldman tonometers.

A systematic review of all articles on disinfection of contact tonometers was conducted. Articles published up to July 2008 were identified in Medline, Embase and references from included articles. Two observers participated in the data retrieval and assessment of the studies identified.

A total of 89 articles was retrieved, of which 58 could be included. Of those, 18 were clinical studies, 17 experimental microbiological studies, 8 expert assessments or guidelines and 15 reviews, surveys, descriptions of new methods. The clinical studies illustrate the importance of the problem, possible side effects of some disinfection methods but yield inconclusive results regarding efficacy. Experimental studies investigated a variety of bacterial and virological questions as well as material damage by disinfection. Both chlorine-based and hydrogen peroxide-based liquid disinfection were shown to be effective if applied for 5 min. Inconsistent results exist for alcohol wipes and UV disinfection - material damage has been described for both. The US guidelines and most expert recommendations are supported by evidence of the existing data.

Chlorine-based and hydrogen peroxide-based liquid disinfections for 5 minutes are effective and relatively safe for disinfecting contact tonometers.