Recalled eye drops contaminated with a rare strain of drug-resistant bacteria may have caused vision loss, eyeball removals and death, according to officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As of March 14, a total of 68 patients in 16 US states have been identified with a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a strain that has never been found in the country before this latest outbreak.
One person has died, and there have been eight reports of vision loss and four reports of surgical eyeball removal as a result of the multistate outbreak, the CDC said.
Most patients reported using artificial tears - eye drops used to lubricate dry eyes and help keep moisture on the outer surface of the eyeball - with 10 different brands identified as possibly linked to the outbreak.
Recalled product EzriCare Artificial Tears was the brand most commonly reported, the CDC said. It was the only common artificial tears product identified across the four healthcare facility clusters, it noted.
The CDC said opened bottles of EzriCare collected from patients were tested and found to contain the bacteria. Unopened bottles are currently being tested to determine if contamination occurred during the manufacturing process.
In January, the CDC and Food and Drug Administration warned people to stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears due to potential bacterial contamination.
Global Pharma, which makes both EzriCare and Delsam Pharma’s eye drops, recalled both products in February upon a formal FDA recommendation.
The FDA has also recalled Global Pharma Healthcare Artificial Eye Ointment due to possible bacterial contamination.
Artificial tears, like the recalled EzriCare and Delsam drops, are the go-to treatment for dry eye disease, one of the most common eye diseases that can cause irritation, grittiness, redness, burning, tearing, and blurred vision.
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