Bacterial growth in the conjunctival sac and the local defense of the outer eye

25 patients admitted for cataract surgery were subjected to conjunctival bacterial culturings preoperatively and during the postoperative observation period. Simultaneously lactoferrin (LF), lysozyme (LY) and secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) were measured in tears. The preoperative flora disclosed the growth of Staphylococcus albus (SA) and diphtheroids. Other species were only sporadically present. There was a significant rise in number of patients affected by SA and diphtheroids postoperatively (from 60 to 80%), whereas other bacteria were not present to any significant extent. LF, LY and s-IgA concentration decreased to about 50% of the preoperative level in the early postoperative period gradually returning towards their initial concentration. Correlating an antibacterial score with bacterial score we found a significant inverse relationship between the two (P less than 0.05).