An Analysis of the neutralization of "brown bottle" hydrogen peroxide

Background: Hydrogen peroxide (H202) care systems have been proven safe and effective when used per the manufacturer's directions. However, at times patients and some practitioners will use 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, or "brown bottle" hydrogen peroxide, instead ofthe appropriate solution and corresponding case combination. Therefore, it is important to understand how "brown bottle" H202 differs from approved systems in terms of contact lens care. Methods: 36 contact lens neutralization cases from each of three popular one step H202 care systems underwent the neutralization process with "brown bottle" hydrogen peroxide. Once the neutralization process had begun, samples were taken at ten-minute intervals over the first hour and once every following hour. Four unaltered samples of un-neutralized H202 were analyzed for each bottle opened. For each sample, an assay was prepared and then titrated with potassium permanganate to determine H202 concentration. Due to known delays in neutralization with new platinum catalyst disks, investigators used cases that had previously undergone one full 8-hour cycle of neutralization. Results: All three case
and "brown bottle" combinations exhibited faster neutralization rates (p < .005). Within the first 10 minutes, there was a rapid 88-94% decrease in H202 concentration for all three case and "brown bottle" H202 combinations. Thereafter, the samples exhibited a steady decrease in hydrogen peroxide concentration. All samples reached less than
100ppm by the third hour of neutralization. Total hydrogen peroxide exposure was decreased when the corresponding solution was substituted with "brown bottle" H2O2 (p<.005). Conclusion: Substituting "brown bottle" H2O2 for the appropriate corresponding solution results in statistically significant differences in both neutralization rates and hydrogen peroxide exposure over time. For all three case and
"brown bottle" H2O2 combinations, the H2O2 concentration was at a "safe" and
"comfortable" level {<100 ppm) for contact lens insertion by three hours.
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