Contact lens wearers, beware again

This one is different from the solution scare about a year ago.


CDC warns about contact lens solution

ATLANTA (AP) - Government officials are warning people to throw away a contact lens solution after an investigation linked it to a rare eye infection.

The warning concerns AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution, used for cleaning and storing soft contact lenses, said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The solution seems to be a factor cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis, a painful eye infection that can lead to permanent vision loss or blindness.

The CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating 138 confirmed cases.

The solution is made by Advanced Medical Optics Inc., a publicly traded company based in Santa Ana, Calif. The company issued a statement Friday night saying it was "immediately and voluntarily recalling" the solution.

"There is no evidence to suggest that today's voluntary recall is related to a product contamination issue and this does not impact any of AMO's other contact lens care products," the statement said.

The confirmed infections have been reported since January 2005, the company said.

CDC officials said people should discard the solution, throw out their current contact lenses and toss the lens storage case. All of them may harbor the infecting amoeba, said Michael Beach, team leader in the CDC's division of parasitic diseases.

Full story here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070526/ap_on_he_me/eye_infection;_ylt=Ako8ou8yx87ZckmDY_KwzVEDW7oF