Scientists Find Eyeballs Aren’t Microbial-Free After All
- 10 years ago
Anyone who believes that the human eyeball isn’t teeming with microbial creatures has sadly been proven wrong.
Anyone who believes that the human eyeball isn’t teeming with microbial creatures has sadly been proven wrong.
Such beliefs seemed to, at least in part, stem from a study that involved documenting the overwhelming number of bacteria and microscopic pests, both good and bad, that live in and on the human body.
One saving grace, was that there was no mention of anything creepy residing on the eyeball. Well, it turns out that eyes just weren’t part of the project’s scope.
A new round of research has started to fill in that gap.
Scientists have already found a plethora of microbial life, and aren’t even sure what some of it is.
What they do know is that is that wearing contact lenses tends to make for easier colonization, as their surfaces give the bacteria and other stuff something to cling to.
The good news is they also discovered that the eye generally does a great job at keeping itself healthy.
Something to look forward to is the potential introduction of anti-microbial contact lenses.
They’re currently being tested out, but trials have already found that they appear to be safe to wear and capable of battling two significant ocular pathogens.
Anyone who believes that the human eyeball isn’t teeming with microbial creatures has sadly been proven wrong.
Such beliefs seemed to, at least in part, stem from a study that involved documenting the overwhelming number of bacteria and microscopic pests, both good and bad, that live in and on the human body.
One saving grace, was that there was no mention of anything creepy residing on the eyeball. Well, it turns out that eyes just weren’t part of the project’s scope.
A new round of research has started to fill in that gap.
Scientists have already found a plethora of microbial life, and aren’t even sure what some of it is.
What they do know is that is that wearing contact lenses tends to make for easier colonization, as their surfaces give the bacteria and other stuff something to cling to.
The good news is they also discovered that the eye generally does a great job at keeping itself healthy.
Something to look forward to is the potential introduction of anti-microbial contact lenses.
They’re currently being tested out, but trials have already found that they appear to be safe to wear and capable of battling two significant ocular pathogens.