US workshop aims to prevent Acanthamoeba keratitis

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is holding a contact lens microbiology workshop next month aimed at preventing Acanthamoeba keratitis in contact lens wearers.

The event, to explore prevention strategies, is jointly sponsored by the Academy, the US Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA), the Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists, the American Academy of Optometry and the American Optometric Association.

Discussing the need for the workshop, it added that recent research found it took an average 27 days to diagnose Acanthamoeba, with 33 per cent of the patients requiring a corneal transplant. Scientists, clinicians and industry experts will discuss methods for testing how effective contact lens products are at disinfecting against Acanthamoeba as well as other topics such as emerging microbial threats.