FDA taking steps to protect contact lens safety in wake of ReNu recall

Wednesday, 17 June 2009

More than three years after the contact lens solution ReNu with MoistureLoc was recalled, the Food and Drug Administration has taken a number of measures to ensure the safety of contact lens wearers. ReNu with MoistureLoc was withdrawn from the market in May 2006 after it was linked to a type of fungal eye infection known as Fusarium keratitis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals who developed a Fusarium keratitis infection were 20-times more likely to have used ReNu with MoistureLoc. The agency found that ReNu with MoistureLoc was less able to disinfect contact lenses than other solutions, leaving users vulnerable to a Fusarium keratitis infection. At least 180 confirmed cases of Fusarium keratitis were uncovered by the CDC over the course of its investigation. Since the ReNu recall was issued, the FDA has taken several steps to improve contact lens solution safety. In early 2009, the agency—along with several groups of eye care professionals—held a workshop to develop benchmark testing methods for evaluating the effectiveness of contact lens solutions. The agency says that it has begun developing guidelines for contact lens manufacturers based on this panel and on meetings held by the FDA’s contact lens advisory panel. The FDA has also created a safety video for consumers who use contact lenses with information on how to care for their contact lenses in order to minimize the risk of infection and eye damage. The video advises consumers not to top off or reuse their contact lens cleaning solution, to clean their lenses with a solution after each use and to avoid exposing lenses or cleaning solution to water or other non-sterile solutions.