MRSA: Just a Matter of Time

Eye specialists knew it would happen sooner or later.

Now we know it is sooner!

The first series of documented eye infections involving LASIK patients has appeared wherein each of the infections was caused by a highly-resistant bacterium: Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus - or MRSA for short. This organism is very hard to kill because it cannot be killed by ordinary antibiotics. Newer, stronger kinds of antibiotics are necessary. It's expensive and risky because someday MRSA will become resistant to these medications also.

Scared?

We've all heard the news stories about MRSA infections in hospitals. Germs from one patient are inoculated on other patients due to inadequate (or absent) handwashing. MRSA has moved outside the hospital and more and more emergency rooms are frequently encountering skin infections and abscesses loaded with MRSA.

Scared enough yet?

Scared enough to start washing your hands more often?

This new report in the American Journal of Ophthalmology describes 13 confirmed MRSA corneal infections in postop LASIK eyes. Nine of the 13 cases involved healthcare workers or similar hospital exposure.

As explained in an earlier blog, the LASIK flap never really heals, so there is always an open portal for contamination to occur.

Bottom line time: if you've had any kind of refractive surgery you've acquired a powerful reason to pay more attention to handwashing and personal hygiene.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: How and When to Wash Your Hands
• WebMD Video: Infection Detection - Finding the Right Drug Faster

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