January 1, Popular Eyedrops Cause Multiple People to Lose Eyeballs

Officials are sounding the alarm over an “extensively drug resistant” outbreak that has infected at least 68 people so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One person has died, eight people have lost their vision, and four people have had their eyeballs surgically removed.

The CDC is working in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and health department officials across 16 states to investigate the outbreak of “an extensively drug-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.” Patients have been identified in the following states: CA, CO, CT, FL, IL, NC, NJ, NM, NY, NV, PA, SD, TX, UT, WA, and WI.

This particular strain, VIM-GES-CRPA, is rare and had never been reported in the U.S. before. Officials believe it stemmed from contaminated eye drops manufactured by the India-based Global Pharma. The products were available for purchase via retailers including Amazon and Walmart under the brand names EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Eye Ointment.

The FDA issued recall notices for both EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Eye Ointment, warning consumers to immediately stop using them.

The agency cited Global Pharma’s manufacturing violations, including “lack of appropriate microbial testing, formulation issues (the company manufactures and distributes ophthalmic drugs in multi-use bottles, without an adequate preservative), and lack of proper controls concerning tamper-evident packaging.”

Consumers who have used the recalled eyedrops and are showing signs or symptoms of an eye infection should seek medical care immediately, officials said.

According to the CDC, symptoms of an eye infection may include: discharge from the eye (yellow, green, or clear), eye pain or discomfort, redness of the eye or eyelid, feeling like you have something in your eye (foreign body sensation), increased sensitivity to light, or blurry vision.

Sources: CDC | FDA | Ars Technica