Contact Lens Solution Recall Leads to Hundreds of Eye Infection Settlements

Bausch & Lomb Inc. has reportedly paid more than $250 million to settle eye infection lawsuits filed by users of their recalled contact lens solution ReNu with MoistureLoc, which has been linked to hundreds of fungal infections that left users with serious eye injuries and in some cases required eye removal.

The Associated Press reports that Bausch & Lomb has settled nearly 600 claims since the May 2006 contact lens solution recall.

Bausch & Lomb ReNu with MoistureLoc multipurpose cleaner was pulled from the market after it was found to cause a rare type of fungal eye infection known as Fusarium keratitis, which takes a long time to heal and could result in corneal perforation or surgical intervention for a corneal transplant.

Although the contact lens solution problems were extremely rare, at least seven Americans had to have an eye removed and 60 more had to undergo corneal transplant surgery.

Even after the settlements, a large number of ReNu with MoistureLoc lawsuits are still pending against the manufacturer. However, Bausch & Lomb is disputing most of those cases, claiming that their contact lens cleaner cannot be directly linked to the eye infections suffered by the plaintiffs, which include various parasitical, viral and bacterial infections.

ReNu with Moisture Loc was introduced by Bausch & Lomb in 2004. Although they became aware in November 2005 of reports that the solution could be contributing to serious eye infections, it was not removed from store shelves until April 2006, with an official recall coming the following month.

One year after the ReNu with MoistureLoc recall, another popular multipurpose contact lens solution was recalled after being linked to an outbreak of eye infections. In May 2007, Advanced Medical Optics (AMO), issued a Complete MoisturePLUS recall after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked their cleaner to an increased risk of Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Unlike Fursarium keratitis, which is a fungal infection, Acanthamoeba keratitis is a microbial eye infection that is caused by a parasite invading the cornea. The infection is usually associated with contact lens wearers who do not properly clean their lenses. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicated that AMO Complete MoisturePLUS users were seven times more likely to contract the infection.