Attention to Those Using Contact Lens

I received a forwarded mail from one of my housemates (fyi, she does not always simply forward email). I do not know whether it is true but I guess it is still better to share this mail with my readers (including the beau).

AMO Complete® MoisturePlus™ Contact Lens Solution Linked to Microbial Keratitis

New Eye Infection, AMO Recall its Complete MoisturePlus Contact Lens Solution A Dangerous Contact Lens Solution Linked to Acanthamoeba Keratitis & Microbial Keratitis in addition to Fungal Keratitis. Have your eyes been, once again, placed in danger of Bacterial Eye Infections, vision damage, or loss of sight?

On May 25, AMO (Advanced Medical Optics) announced a recall of their 'No Rub' Complete MoisturePlus Multipurpose Contact Solution. Although the company stands by its product and casts the blame on contact lens wearers who 'improperly store, disinfect or handle' their contact lenses, the CDC forced AMO to recall Complete Moisture Plus.

This Complete Moisture Plus recall is not so distant from Bausch & Lomb's recall of ReNu with MoistureLoc, which caused serious injury to many contact lens wearers. AMO's press release states they have known since January of 2005 about at least 46 patients who claimed to have contracted a unique form of keratitis from the AMO Recall solution.

This keratitis is called 'acanthamoeba keratitis (AK)'. From all indications, AMO Moisture Plus recall was delayed as long as Bausch did in coming forward and recalling the product; potentially exposing an untold number of unsuspecting contact lens wearers to this painful (AK) infection that can cause permanent vision loss or blindness.

Other reports seem to illustrate a company who knew about the potential link between (AK) and their Complete MoisturePlus Multipurpose Solution since as early as 2004. In 2004, the infection first occurred in more than a dozen people against the normal count of one or two in a year. Dr. Elmer Tu, an ophthalmologist at the University of Illinois, Chicago, along with other doctors attended around 35 patients from May 2003 to September of 2006, 55% of whom were infected due to usage of AMO Complete MoisturePlus recall solution.

According to Dr. Tu, AMO's Complete MoisturePLUS solution is not defective. It is just not designed to provide a shield to the eyes when they're exposed to soil or water where the risk of bacterial infection is significant. Julie Zawisza, an FDA spokes person, said,' The solution is not marketed to protect against the amoeba. But it's supposed to be free of any type of microorganisms. It's not supposed to result in anyone getting an infection.'

Once again, one must wonder what corporations who suspect problems with their products are thinking when they wait one, two, or more years before warning the public about a potential hazard provoked or caused by their product. We wonder how much injury must occur before corporate dollars are sufficient.

Acanthamoeba keratitis & Microbial Keratitis patients suffer symptoms very similar to other common bacterial eye infection, but the AK infection can result in the loss of eye sight. If you experience symptoms, including the following, we encourage you to first immediately seek treatment from an experienced, eye care professional:
' Eye pain
' Eye redness and soreness
' Hypersensitivity to light
' Reduction in visual acuity
' Temporary or, at the worst, permanent blindness