by Playfuls Staff |
14th April 2006
Bausch & Lomb is asking US retailers to take ReNu with MoistureLoc off their shelves ‘temporarily'. It is also advising lens cleanser users to switch to another solution until an investigation into why so many people are coming down with Fungal Keratitis infections [more] is complete.
Bausch & Lomb stressed this only applies to ReNu® with MoistureLoc® manufactured inside the USA. The company says it has initiated this voluntary action to prevent any confusion among contact lens wearers.
An open letter to consumers, from Ron Zarrella, Baurch & Lombs CEO and Chairman, will by published in USA Today and regional newspapers throughout the USA. The letter, says the company, explains what is going on and offers guidance on alternatives.
The letter states "For more than 150 years, Bausch & Lomb's mission has been to enhance your vision. We find ourselves in a position where the safety of one of our products, ReNu with MoistureLoc manufactured at our United States plant, is in question. We've done a series of exhaustive tests on the product, and a thorough inspection of the plant, and nothing has yet been found to show that ReNu with MoistureLoc contributed to these infections in any way. However, in the cases of infections reviewed to date, the majority of patients reported using ReNu with MoistureLoc manufactured at our U.S. factory."
This is not the first time Bausch & Lomb's lens cleanser has been linked to serious eye infections. A lawsuit has been filed in New York claiming that the company did not disclose the lens cleanser's links with serious eye infections in parts of Asia.
109 cases of Fusarium Karatitis are being investigated by US authorities. The infection is very rare and can lead to permanent loss of vision. Some patients have had to have corneal transplants.
We have had letters from distressed contact lens wearers asking why the company says this measure only applies to the solution manufactured inside the USA when infections have appeared in other parts of the world.
