Bausch & Lomb (B&L) has voluntarily suspended U.S. shipments of ReNu with MoistureLoc lens care solutions, following an alert from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration.
According to a report by Optometrist Joseph Barr, editor of Contact Lenses Today, an industry newsletter, the alert concerns an increasing number of Fusarium keratitis infections reported in the U.S. The CDC, FDA and local health departments are involved in an ongoing investigation to determine the source. Patients found to have the infections included contact lens wearers in California.
B&L representatives said the company is working closely with the CDC and the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University to implement a multi-center surveillance program to establish the actual incidence. The company will also change its recommendation for replacing lens cases from once every three months to once per month and stresses the importance of proper lens cleaning and care.
The CDC advises clinicians who notice signs and symptoms of keratitis to consider the possibility of infection and obtaining a clinical specimen before initiating treatment. Cases of Fusarium keratitis should be reported to state and local health officials or directly to the CDC.
–Jeb Bing
