US confirms 102 infections in contact lens blindness scare

[LiberalPartisan]

US health authorities said they have confirmed 102 cases of a serious eye infection that has left contact lens maker Bausch and Lomb Inc. reeling.

..snip..

Bausch and Lomb has been forced to yank its best-selling solution ReNu with MoistureLoc from sale after the spate of infections of fungal keratitis, a painful inflammation of the cornea that can lead to blindness.

More...

[electron_blue]

1. I had a horrible experience with my contact solution in April

after a week of using it. I pitched it and *then* heard about the Bausch & Lomb problem. Interestingly enough, my solution wasn't with B&L, it was Target brand contact lens solution. I've been waiting to hear if other makers have this problem, too.A month later and my eyes are mostly back to normal, but it was pretty bad for a few days there. I've worn contacts for 24 years and this is the first problem I've ever had with a solution, fwiw.

[truthisfreedom]

2. target multi-purpose solution, no rub?

did they change the formula or something?

[electron_blue]

4. No it wasn't the "no rub" kind, and it was for gas perms, not soft lenses

but, criminy, the solution was obviously bad, I had major blurriness and scratchy pain like the other solution and it took a week or two to recover. And the timing made me wonder.

[aquart]

3. Did B&L make the product for Target's label?

[roseBudd]

5. Just spoke to my contact lens provider, he said everyone infected was

wearing disposables past the 30 day limit. The fungus is in the envioronment and Renu can't kill it. The recomendation is to go back to using a hydrogen peroxide solution such as Aosept, if not everyday at least a few times a week.

Oh and he also said WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE TOUCHING YOUR LENS!

[TexasLawyer]

6. That's good info--

thanks!

[MichiganVote]

7. My son who visited his eye Dr. said the same thing and that most of

the cases were in Fl. That it was not the B&L solution and that the media had / has this story all wrong. He doesn't have any agenda to buffalo my son. Figures.

[roseBudd]

9. Renu is popular because it keeps the protein at bay & Aosept is a

hassle because you have to replace the platinum disc every 3 months that neutralizes the hydrogen peroxide. My guess is nothing can survive the hydrogen peroxide.

[MichiganVote]

11. Both my husband and son have gone back to renu w/o a prob.

[roseBudd]

15. Fungus is everywhere and only a tiny percentage of people are effected

my guess is the immune systems and the injury factor, ie. wearing disposables longer than 30 days would be a risk factor. I don't wear disposables but I do wear them until they are uncomfortable. I use generic Renu, most probably just bought from B&L and then packaged with the stores label. I definitely replaced lens more often with Aosept as it did not address protein.

[goclark]

19. Thanks for the update, , I wear Hard Lenses

and I was worried because the other day my lens was tight.
I got some of that rewet and it feels better today.

I always use B & L.

[Zynx]

8. Corrolation does not mean causality. *sigh*

[pitohui]

10. i hate to say it but...

everyone i know who wears soft lenses has had an infection at one time or another

thank god for lasik

[closeupready]

12. I asked my optometrist about this; he said bad hygiene is partly

to blame, even if it turns out this stuff has a contributing effect. IANAD, but makes sense. By the way, I have two unopened sample bottles I am going to throw away, regardless.

[roseBudd]

16. Regarding Aosept my lens provider got an unlisted no. because drunk

Aosept users were calling him at 3am after squirting what is reaaly hydrogen peroxide in their eyes. I've done it, just not drunk, my platinum disc had fallen out and I put a non neutralized lens in my eye. If you have not experienced this pain, no words can describe it. I fell to the floor.

[sweetheart]

13. i've had more eye infections since jauary..

than i've had my entire life.... every single softlens
starts burning by eyes after 3 days of constantly replaced
clean saline.... aahhh... that expainz it.! :-)

[DaveColorado]

14. Oftentimes

Walmart and other generic brand solutions are simply repackaged name brand solutions.

You need to be wary of those too.

I used Renu Moisture Loc for a long time, so I'm glad I never got this infection eek.

[truth2power]

17. I've used ReNu for years, and never had a problem...

Never switched to the MoistureLoc, on the idea that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". All my life I never could wear contacts until they got rid of that mercury preservative.

I do wear my disposables for months, until they get scratchy or until I rip one. :)

But I keep my hands clean when inserting and removing them, and I soak my lens case in alcohol every so often.

I was looking at AoSept yesterday, in terms of the periodic cleaning someone posted upthread. What's with the platinum disc? How does that work? I can see how that would be a hassle using it every day.

[kestrel91316]

18. I wore hard lenses for several years, but quit in vet school due to

bits of horse dander and straw from the barn causing corneal scratches too often. I have never regretted going back to glasses.

When I read about this sort of stuff I am confident i made the right decision. Contacts were always such a HASSLE.