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Effectiveness of liposomal ozonized oil in reducing ocular microbial flora in patients undergoing cataract surgery
Leopoldo Spadea1, Elisa Zanotto, Rossana Cavallo
1From the Eye Clinic, Policlinico Umberto I, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy (Spadea, Giannico); Microbiology and Virology Unit, University Hospital Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, Italy (Zanotto, Cavallo); Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy (Campagna); Department of Medicine and Health Science "V. Tiberio," University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy (Costagliola).
Purpose:
To evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of a liposomal ozonized oil solution used as a home therapy in patients undergoing cataract surgery. Antimicrobial efficacy was evaluated as the reduction in the bacterial load of the most common bacteria isolated from cases with endophthalmitis.
Setting:
20 Italian experimental centers of the Effectiveness of Liposomal Ozonized oil on Ocular Microbial flora before cataract surgery study group.
Design:
Interventional, nonrandomized, paired-eye designed, phase 4 clinical study.
Methods:
A total of 174 patients undergoing cataract surgery were divided into 2 groups: the study group (174 eyes) underwent surgery and received an isotonic ophthalmic solution of 0.5% ozonized oil in liposomes plus hypromellose treatment (2 drops 4 times/d), and the control group (174 contralateral eyes) was treated with saline solution. The treatment lasted for 3 days. Subconjunctival swabs were taken from both eyes of each patient at T0 (the day before starting the treatment and 4 days preoperatively) and at T4 (after 3 days of treatment and 10 min preoperatively) and sent to the laboratory within 24 hours of collection for microbiological analysis.
Results:
30% of 696 swabs taken at T0 were sterile. Contaminated swabs had a high prevalence of coagulase-negative staphylococci, including Staphylococcus epidermidis, and more than 60 different bacterial species were isolated. A significant reduction in microbial load was observed after treatment (>90% of the samples). The microbial load in the control group remained unchanged.
Conclusions:
Liposomal ozonized oil reduced the microbial burden after topical administration in a large study population.
