Tennessee residents file a pair of ReNu lawsuits

Tuesday, 13 February 2007

Two residents of Nashville, Tennessee have filed ReNu lawsuits against Bausch & Lomb. John Richardson and Kathy Binkley allege that they contracted the eye infection Fusarium keratitis after using Bausch & Lomb’s ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution. Both claim to have suffered significant vision loss as a result of their Fusarium keratitis symptoms. According to his ReNu lawsuit, Richardson was diagnosed with Fusarium keratitis in February 2006. As a result of the injuries caused by his infection, he was forced to undergo a cornea transplant to restore the vision in his injured eye. Binkley was diagnosed with a corneal ulcer in November 2005 and underwent surgery to correct it two months later. In her ReNu lawsuit, she claims that she has suffered decreased vision, eye pain and headaches because of her Fusarium keratitis infection. Her ReNu attorney says that Binkley’s vision loss may also be permanent. The ReNu lawsuits filed by Binkley and Richardson are just two of thousands of potential claims that could be facing Bausch & Lomb. Former ReNu users have alleged that Bausch & Lomb failed to act quickly in issuing a ReNu recall when it learned of the link between Fusarium keratitis symptoms and ReNu with MoistureLoc. Although health officials in Hong Kong and Singapore warned Bausch & Lomb of an outbreak of Fusarium keratitis symptoms among ReNu users in November 2005, the company did not issue a worldwide ReNu recall until May 2006. Former patients claim in their ReNu lawsuits that Bausch & Lomb’s delay cost them a permanent loss of vision in one or both eyes. About one-third of ReNu users who developed Fusarium keratitis symptoms will eventually require a cornea transplant in order to correct their injuries.