Bacterial cultures of lenses removed during cataract surgery

Lenses removed in 408 cataract operations were cultured for bacteria. Most (78%) lenses were sterile. Of the positive cultures, 48% were positive for Staphylococcus epidermidis and 15.4% for S. aureus. These findings reflect the flora of the normal preoperative conjunctiva, and the organisms most commonly implicated in postoperative endophthalmitis. One case of endophthalmitis occurred in this series, and S. aureus was cultured from the lens and later from the postoperative wound and a wound suture, but no intraocular paracentesis was performed to confirm the causative organism.