TY - JOUR T1 - In vitro efficacy of topical ophthalmic antiseptics against SARS-CoV-2 JF - BMJ Open Ophthalmology JO - BMJ Open Ophth DO - 10.1136/bmjophth-2021-000765 VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - e000765 AU - Tina Felfeli AU - Samantha B Kasloff AU - Jay Krishnan AU - Sherif R El-Defrawy AU - Tony Mazzulli AU - Todd A Cutts Y1 - 2021/06/01 UR - http://bmjophth.bmj.com/content/6/1/e000765.abstract N2 - Shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in tears of patients with COVID-19 has been reported,1 2 which could serve as a source of infection for healthy individuals, including healthcare providers. The current standard antiseptic solutions used in ophthalmology in the setting of inoffice procedures and operating rooms include povidone-iodine (PVI) 5% and chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) 0.1% or 0.05%, which are at concentrations that are lower than those used in other surgical specialties. Although laboratory and clinical studies to date have aimed to evaluate the virucidal benefits of routine PVI use for ophthalmic surgeries,3 currently there are no established guidelines regarding the optimal contact time and efficacy of varying dilutions as well as comparisons with other formulations such as CHX. Rigorous evaluation of the efficacy of virucidal agents for disinfecting ocular surface of potentially infected patients with SARS-CoV-2 is critical in mitigating the risk of transmission.In the current study, we evaluated the virucidal efficacy and contact times for commonly used ophthalmic concentrations of PVI and CHX against SARS-CoV-2 using Vero E6 cells as indicator cell lines for residual viable virus based on previously established methodologies (online supplemental appendix).4–6 PVI (5% weight per volume, w/v) and CHX (0.05% and 0.1% w/v) were tested at full strength. Fifty microlitres of ophthalmic formulations … ER -