Mycobacterium chelonae Eye Infections Associated with Humidifier Use in an Outpatient LASIK Clinic--Ohio, 2015

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015 Oct 23;64(41):1177. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6441a4.

Abstract

Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) eye surgery is increasingly common, with approximately 600,000 procedures performed each year in the United States. LASIK eye surgery is typically performed in an outpatient setting and involves the use of a machine-guided laser to reshape the lens of the eye to correct vision irregularities. Clinic A is an ambulatory surgery center that performs this procedure on 1 day each month. On February 5, 2015, the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department (TLCHD) in Ohio was notified of eye infections in two of the six patients who had undergone LASIK procedures at clinic A on January 9, 2015. The two patients experienced eye pain after the procedures and received diagnoses of infection with Mycobacterium chelonae, an environmental organism found in soil and water.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Ambulatory Care Facilities
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Equipment Contamination*
  • Eye Infections, Bacterial / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Humidifiers*
  • Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ / adverse effects*
  • Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous / epidemiology*
  • Mycobacterium chelonae / isolation & purification*
  • Ohio / epidemiology