Here's what you need to know about the flurry of eye drop recalls
The Food and Drug Administration recently announced recalls of several eye drop brands linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant bacteria responsible for three deaths and multiple cases of people going blind.
Eight people also have lost their vision and four have had their eyeballs removed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of March 14, 68 patients across 16 states were found to have contracted the bacteria, known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Millions of consumers use nonprescription, over-the-counter drops daily as a remedy for dryness, irritation and other mild eye conditions. But the flurry of recalls is leaving some regular users of the products wondering, are they safe? Here's what you should know.
EzriCare and Delsam Pharma "Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops." Global Pharma Healthcare on February 2 recalled all lots of its EzriCare and Delsam Pharma brands of "Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops," which it said could be contaminated with bacteria.
The recall came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began an investigation of a cluster of multistate bacterial infections it believed were associated with the tear drops. At the time of the recall, there were 55 reports of adverse reactions to the drops, including eye infections, permanent vision loss and one death from a bloodstream infection.
