This study aimed to assess air quality in operating rooms (OR) , expressed as colony forming units (CFU)/m3, during ophthalmic surgeries; exploring the effect of hydrogen peroxide vapor HPV fogging of OR and number of attending personnel on air contamination in the vicinity of the operated eye. Data collection by active air sampling
and observations was performed during 452 ophthalmic procedures. The results showed median total viable count (TVC) at rest was 27.5 CFU/m3 range (0-275) and 30 CFU/m3 range (0-170) pre HPV and post HPV samplings respectively. The median TVC in operational was 60 CFU/m3 (range = 0-500) pre-HPV and 75 CFU/m3 (range = 20-270) post HPV. Results showed a non-significant correlation between the total CFU/m3 per operation and prior application of HPV (P = 0.077, n = 452). However, air samples exceeding the maximum CFU/m3 acceptable levels pre- and post-fogging was decreased from 42% to 40.3% (P= 0.8) at rest and from 15.5% to 12.8% (P= 0.6) at operation. A significant weak positive correlation was also found between TVC in CFU/m3 and the number of persons attending the operation (r = 0.159, P = 0.006, n =
296). Conclusion: Air fumigation with HPV disinfectant and traffic flow has a positive impact on the OR environment.