Ultraviolet Light Efficacy for Decontamination of Safety Glasses

Reusable plastic safety glasses are commonly used in workplace environments to provide eye protection to users. When multiple individuals use a pair of safety glasses, there is the potential for transmission of commensal pathogenic organisms. Chemical decontamination methods are one intervention to prevent transmission between users but require time and effort for each pair of glasses. Another option is the use of ultraviolet (UV) light for decontamination of safety glasses after each use. A germicidal UV light decontamination cabinet was tested for its efficacy in routine decontamination of reusable plastic safety glasses using Staphylococcus aureus as an indicator organism. A statistically significant reduction of contamination was seen (P < .05), dependent on both location of the glasses within the cabinet and location of contamination on individual glasses. The use of a UV cabinet is recommended as an effective and convenient option for reduction of microbial contamination of plastic safety glasses between uses