Conjunctival microbial flora in leprosy.

Conjunctival sacs of seventy-one leprosy patients, paramedical and medical personnel working in a Leprosy Home were cultured. None of these eyes had any pathology of the outer eye. Surprisingly, 46.2% of the culturally positive eyes carried accepted pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus being the commonest. Determining the preoperative bacterial flora and their elimination before undertaking intraocular surgery is recommended.