Clinical Case-control Study of Postoperative Ocular Microbiota Colonization Using Microbial Analysis in Patients...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Microbiology
• Plastic Surgery

Background:

• Blepharoplasty is a common plastic surgery procedure globally.
• The effect of blepharoplasty on the ocular surface microbiota is not well understood.
• Investigating these microbial changes is crucial for understanding potential ocular surface alterations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the changes in the ocular surface microbiota following blepharoplasty.
• To compare the microbial composition of patients undergoing blepharoplasty with a control group.
• To identify specific bacterial species associated with blepharoplasty.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 30 blepharoplasty patients and 23 controls.
• Ocular surface swabs were collected for bacterial analysis.
• 16S rRNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were employed to determine microbial composition and abundance.

Main Results:

• Blepharoplasty patients exhibited increased colonization by pathogenic bacteria compared to controls.
• Alpha diversity analysis revealed significantly higher bacterial abundance in the surgical group.
• Beta diversity analysis demonstrated distinct microbial community structures between the groups.

Conclusions:

• Blepharoplasty may compromise the ocular mucosal barrier, leading to pathogenic bacterial colonization.
• The observed microbial imbalance could contribute to postoperative ocular discomfort or dysfunction.
• Age, sex, and surgery frequency did not significantly impact the microbial profile in blepharoplasty patients.