Efficacy of an Automated Point-of-Care UVC Disinfection System for Reusable Ophthalmic Devices

Purpose Disinfection of multi-use ophthalmic equipment prevents cross-transmission of microbes between patients. This study evaluates the germicidal efficacy of the SaniteyesTM ultraviolet-C (UVC) high-level disinfection system for multi-use ophthalmic equipment such as eyedropper bottles, tonometer tips, and diagnostic and laser lenses.

We assessed disinfection efficacy using both carrier and simulated use tests against multiple bacterial, viral, and fungal microorganisms. Organisms were selected based on commonly accepted indicators for disinfection efficacy and/or ophthalmic relevance. Stainless steel carriers, eyedropper nozzles, applanation prisms, goniolenses, and laser lenses were inoculated before being placed within a disinfection bay of the SaniteyesTM system. Following disinfection, the log reduction in viable organisms was measured. Tests were performed according to American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) International Standards for high-level disinfection (HLD). All tests were performed with negative controls, soiled controls, and three replicates for efficacy studies.

Carrier and simulated use tests showed reduction by more than 6-log for all bacteria and fungi, and by more than 4-log for viruses, in accordance with efficacy cutoffs for HLD.

The SaniteyesTM automated disinfection system offers fast and chemical-free HLD of multi-use ophthalmic devices to meet regulatory standards of the CDC, FDA, and Joint Commission. Competing Interest Statement One author (VS) reports ownership interest in Drop Mate, Inc., the manufacturer of the device evaluated in this paper. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to disclose and have seen and agreed to the submitted version of the paper. Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding. Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Data Availability All data produced in the present work are contained in the manuscript.