ReNu/Bausch and Lomb
US, Canada and Puerto Rico
With more than 30 million contact users in the United States alone, there is a large market for contact lens solution. But the possibility of going blind should not accompany the product. Manufactured by Bausch & Lomb, ReNu contact lens solution with MoistureLoc has been connected to a harmful eye fungus called Fungal Keratitis, which can require surgery and may ultimately cause blindness. If you or someone in your family has used this solution and developed a suspicious eye condition, please contact the dangerous drug lawyers at Balkin & Eisbrouch, LLC.
About Fungal Keratitis
Fungal Keratitis is a serious eye infection that can cause you to lose your eyesight. This eye disease may encompass your whole cornea, causing ocular ulcers and lesions that require surgery to fix. Symptoms of this infection often include:
- Eye discomfort or pain
- Blurry vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Watery discharge
- Redness in your eye
- Discomfort with a scratchy, sand-like feeling
Other side effects associated with this eye fungus are bacterial infections in your eye, glaucoma and permanent scarring in your eye and/or cornea.
How FK Develops
Fungal Keratitis is a result of the solution formula. While most contact solutions use just one polymer, ReNu with MoistureLoc is created with three polymers, aimed to increase moisture and comfort. However, these three polymers end up trapping fungus and preventing the disinfectant in the solution formula from killing the fungus.
The disinfectant used, called Alexidine, has only been used in mouthwash and never before in a contact lens solution. Therefore, the disinfectant may also be to blame, since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered that Bausch & Lomb failed to properly test this sanitizing agent.
Cases of Fungal Keratitis
As of May, 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 130 cases of this eye fungus. At least eight of these patients required a corneal transplant to save their vision and at least one went blind. The CDC reports that poor hygiene habits were not to blame for these infections; poor disinfectant qualities in ReNu with MoistureLoc were responsible.
If you have experienced any one or more of the symptoms associated with Fungal Keratitis, do not allow Bausch & Lomb to get away with causing severe infections with their contact lens solution. Even though Bausch & Lomb has stopped the shipment of this product, if you use Renu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution, stop immediately and please contact the dangerous drug attorneys at Balkin & Eisbrouch, LLC today. We serve clients in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
