A few weeks back, I suddenly developed a very red, sore eye. Just one eye, my other eye was fine. Family doctor examined me, asked lots of questions, figured it must be allergy-related. It wasn't regular conjunctivitis, but what it was - couldn't tell. On his advice, I flushed my eye frequently with various drops. Replaced my 30-day lens early. The redness cleared up, came back, cleared up again, showed up in other eye, cleared up, etc.
I was on the 2nd bottle of a 2-pack of solution. Relatively new case, new lenses, allergies really weren't that bad... what was going on?
Then I saw this news item Saturday night: CDC: Don't use that contact solution.
After all the heart-stopping moments with the pet food scare, now it's my turn. Last week, I had finally tossed out the bottle of solution I'd been using, threw out the case even though it was only a few weeks old. Now I'm sitting in front of my computer monitor, saying "Oh my God!"
Acanthamoeba keratitis is a painful eye infection that can cause permanent vision loss or blindness. The CDC estimated 85 percent of U.S. cases of the disease occur in contact lens users. The solution of concern is manufactured by the Advanced Medical Optics Inc. based out of Santa Ana, California.
The possible connection between the use of AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution and Acanthamoeba kertitis was first suspected in 2004 by a University of Illinois-Chicago ophthalmologist, Dr. Elmer Tu, who noticed more than a dozen cases of the eye infection. Normally, Dr. Tu sees no more than two cases in a year.
Much as I hate digging through the trash, I tore into the bag waiting in the garage, trying to remember just which night I'd decided to throw things out. Was it still here or did it go to the dump last week?
Success! Found the bottle, and sure enough - it was AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution.
Back online to find out what I'm to do, how long before I go blind, anything -
The company recalled 2.9 million packets of the solution last November after it found bacterial contamination in three lots sold in Japan. That recall included The recall includes 183,000 units sold in the U.S.
At the time of the earlier recall, the company blamed it on a water-borne organism that got into some solution at the company's plant in China. The plant was temporarily shut down and the company insisted there was no problem with the lens solution's formula.
Oh yeah, I feel so much better now. U.S. Workers scrambling for decent manufacturing jobs, and China is poisoning my pets & blinding me. You know what? My bottle doesn't say "Made in China," it says "Made in Spain." Can we believe it?
I'm really getting angry now. I don't know what medical treatment I'll need to save my vision, if any. When I didn't know why my eyes were turning red, I spent quite a few dollars on eye drops and eye gels. I'd lie awake, worried about what was going on. Now I know what was going on and I'm even more worried. I'm sick and tired of frights like this.
AMO said in its statement that "consumers who believe they are in possession of the recalled product should discontinue use immediately and call 1-888-899-9183.
What can we trust now? Our meats & vegetables are suspect, our peanut butter contaminated, our pet food poisoned, what else?
Folks, you're on your own.