Objective   To identify and quantitate the conjunctival aerobic bacterial flora from healthy people of 3 age groups in Chongqing city.    Methods   Samples taken with moist swabs from the lower fornix of both eyes of 33 children (9.85±0.57 years old)

31 youths (21.23±0.88 years old) and 30 elders (72.97±4.94 years old) were given bacterial cultures. Positive ones were identified and colony forming units (CFUs) were counted. Bacterial quantity was expressed as the number of CFUs divided by the weight of each sample measured before and after collection.    Results   The elders showed a higher isolation frequency (93.33%) than children (45.45%) and youths (50.00%) which had statistically difference (P0.01). Corynebacterium diphtheroides

Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the elders all had a greater percentage. The elders also had a larger number of species per eye than did children and youths (P0.01). Children showed a lower quantity of conjunctival aerobic bacterial flora than the other 2 groups (P0.01). The quantity of Corynebacterium diphtheroides became larger when people grew older

and the elders group had a grater number of Staphylococcus epidermidis than children group (P0.01).    Conclusion   The number of species and quantity of conjunctival aerobic bacterial flora from the elders were both larger than those from children and youths

which should be concerned by ophthalmologist.