Evaluation of conjunctival and nasal bacterial cultures before intra-ocular operations.

Method 65 patients awaiting cataract extraction were admitted to hospital on the day before operation. None of them had any topical or systemic treatment before or after admission. In each case, both eyes were white and quiet and the naso-lacrimal ducts were patent. At the time of admission, conjunctival swabs were taken from the lower fornix of each eye on dry, sterile cotton-wool applicators, and immediately plated onto blood agar. The plates were incubated overnight and the results read immediately before operation on the following day. All the swabs were taken and plated by the author personally. Also at the time of admission, swabs were taken from each nostril by the author, using dry, sterile cotton-wool applicators. These swabs were all plated within 2 hours. The conjunctival cultures were repeated by the author, using the same technique, when the patient was on the operating table but before the instillation of any drops.