Ch. 1. Introduction -- Ch. 2. Methods and rationale for their utilization -- Ch. 3. The influence of surface treatment on hydrophobicity, protein adsorption and microbial colonization of silicone hydrogel contact lenses -- Ch. 4. Bacterial adhesion to worn silicone hydrogel contact lenses -- Ch. 5. The effect of octylglucoside and sodium cholate in staphylococcus epidermidis and pseudomonas aeruginosa adhesion to soft contact lenses -- Ch. 6. The influence of lens material and lens wear on the removal and viability of staphylococcus epidermidis -- Ch. 7. Contact lens material influences the efficacy of disinfection of multipurpose solutions -- Ch. 8. General conclusions and suggestions for future work