Glasses often come with hands and skin in contact. Yet something about it was, however, little is known about the extent to which they are with bacteria and other germs settled. German researchers have now investigated this and glasses of students with those of nursing home residents compared.
"The study clearly shows that glasses as a germ carrier fungieren", study leader prof Dr. Markus Egert of Furtwangen University said. Were found typical skin and mucous membrane bacteria, such as the genus Staphylococcus. The proportion of potentially pathogenic species of bacteria was around 60 percent. These bacteria are especially for people with a weakened immune system is dangerous. It is also the germs were found, the eye diseases like conjunctivitis, or Endophthalmitis skin can trigger. "For healthy people, there is no particular risk of infection dar" your glasses safe;, soothes Egert. In the case of frequently recurrent eye infections should also be thought of a disinfection of glasses, recommended by the microbiologist.
For the study, a total of 31 glasses of seven on bacteria were investigated. 21 glasses came from students and staff of Furtwangen University, ten of the residents of a nursing home. "All the investigated glasses were bacterial besiedelt", says Egert. "Most Places with direct skin contact such as earsocks and nose pads. The lowest nucleation density was found on the glasses." On average, the high school were not settled in the glasses more than the old home-glasses. Only on the glasses of the old people’s home-glasses, significantly more bacteria were detected, in addition, were found on the glasses, more different bacteria.
Then the scientists examined how the germs on the best way to remove. The Rubbing of the lenses and frames with a damp eyeglass cleaning towels reduced the bacterial load by 94 to 99 percent. Even cleaning wipes have been tested with an alcohol-free cleaning solution that is gentle to racks made of plastic. A dry cleaning proved to be not quite as effective.
NK