FDA posted a recall of EzriCare-branded artificial tears and criticized its maker:
An extensively drug-resistant bacterial strain is spreading in the US for the first time and causing an alarming outbreak linked to artificial tears eye drops, according to an alert released Wednesday evening from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So far, the germ has caused various infections in 55 people in 12 states, killing one and leaving others hospitalized and with permanent vision loss.
Infected patients reported using more than 10 brands of artificial tears collectively, with some patients using multiple brands. But the most common brand used among the patients was EzriCare Artificial Tears, a preservative-free product sold by Walmart, Amazon, and other retailers.
On Thursday, after this story originally published, the Food and Drug Administration posted notice of a recall of EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma's Artificial Tears. The FDA the CDC recommends clinicians and patients stop buying and using the two products. In a separate notice, the FDA further added that the products' manufacturer, Global Pharma Healthcare Private Limited, was in violation of good manufacturing practices, including lack of appropriate microbial testing, formulating its product without an adequate preservative, and lack of proper controls concerning tamper-evident packaging.
[...] In the current outbreak, which began in May 2022, investigators have isolated the outbreak strain from 13 sputum or bronchial washes, 11 cornea swabs, seven urine samples, two blood samples, 25 rectal swabs, and four other nonsterile sources. The patients presented in inpatient and outpatient settings with a range of infections. Those include eye infections—infection of the cornea (keratitis) and infection of tissue or fluids inside the eyeball (endophthalmitis)—to respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, and sepsis. The patient who died had a systemic infection.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 06, @05:52PM (2 children)
Loss of natural tears can be a side-effect of laser eye surgery. I'd rather wear glasses than have to put drops in my eyes for the rest of my life.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 07, @12:48AM
> drops in my eyes for the rest of my life.
It's common for older people to get "dry eye". However, when I took my ~80 year old mother to an eye specialist for this, the experienced doc ended a short interview with, "I can prescribe things for you but did you know that in the minutes I've been talking with you you haven't blinked once?" Turns out that it common to "forget to blink", as if the habit fails or something(?) There was no Lasik in this case.
After that I would prompt my mother by looking directly at her and blinking a few times rapidly--then she would blink and grin (or later groan--the gimmick wore out after awhile).
Blink often. Cultivate the habit now!!
(Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday February 07, @04:43AM
It depends on the eye drops. These are specifically tagged as being unsafe ("preservative-free"), so like raw water and other fads it pretty much tells you on the label that you should avoid putting it into anywhere sensitive, like in this case your eyes.