Artificial tears in the United States are shockingly reported to cause blindness and death due to "superbug" infection! Pharmacists worry: There are almost no medicines available
Artificial tears cause blindness and death? Superbug infection reported in US
Be careful when buying artificial tears online! Recent reports in the United States are suspected of causing multi-drug-resistant bacterial infections caused by contamination of artificial tears, resulting in several cases of blindness and death. “Eternal Life Pharmacist Ji. You Peiwen Pharmacist” pointed out in a social post that recently, a US brand of EzriCare artificial tears that does not contain preservatives and is packaged in multidose and manufactured by an Indian pharmaceutical factory has caused multi-drug-resistant bacterial infections. Commonly referred to as “superbugs”.
As of March 21, the superbug infection caused by this artificial tear has caused 3 deaths, 8 blindness, and 4 people had their eyeballs removed.
Pharmacist You Peiwen said that the bacteria that caused the serious infection this time was a “multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa” ( carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa with Verona integron-mediated metallo-β-lactamase and Guiana extended-spectrum-β-lactamase, VIM- GES-CRPA ). This kind of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is ineffective against Carbapenem antibiotics, is quite difficult to treat in the Department of Infectious Diseases. It can be said that there is almost no cure.
72-year-old man goes blind after applying artificial tears, CDC warns of bacterial keratitis symptoms
According to the latest guidance from the CDC, the cause of the outbreak of VIM-GES-CRPA infection is still under investigation, and consumers are advised to temporarily stop using EzriCare or Delsam Pharma artificial tears until the risk of infection is clarified. If symptoms of suspected infection occur after use, you should seek medical attention immediately, including yellow-green or clear discharge from the eyes, eye pain and discomfort, redness of the eyes or eyelids, foreign body sensation in the eyes, light sensitivity, and blurred vision.
In a recent case report published in JAMA Ophthalmology, a 72-year-old man went to the doctor because of pain in his right eye for one day and vision loss. He was diagnosed with bacterial keratitis caused by multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Although the patient had a history of cardiovascular disease, COPD and diabetes, he used EzriCare artificial tears. Despite emergency antibiotic treatment, symptoms of persistent infection and vision loss persisted.
The case report reminds that there have been 55 cases of multi-drug-resistant bacterial infection keratitis in 12 states in the United States. The public should be reminded to understand the possibility of multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa threatening vision and the signs of related infection symptoms. Always be sure to Use eye drops and artificial tears correctly to avoid the risk of infection.
Eye drops are preservative-free and should not be left on for a long time. Pharmacists remind artificial tears to be safe to use.
Pharmacist You Peiwen pointed out that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still investigating whether the multi-drug-resistant bacterial infection in this artificial tear was caused by contamination in the production process or other improper use processes. Although Taiwan does not import this brand of artificial tears, it is available at local pharmacies, shopping websites and medical institutions in the United States.
If your relatives and friends have purchased artificial tears locally or online in the United States, please pay attention to whether they have used artificial tears from EzriCare or Delsam Pharma’s (the same manufacturer in India). It is recommended to stop using them immediately and pay attention to whether there are any symptoms of eye discomfort, such as yellowing. Green discharge, eye pain, red, blurry eyes, and photophobia should seek medical attention from an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.
Pharmacist You Peiwen reminds us that eye drops without preservatives are not recommended to be reused or stored for a long time. Unless specially designed, more than 90% of “multi-dose packaging” (a common bottle of eye drops on the market) uses preservatives. It is usually recommended to choose “preservative-free - Unit Dose” artificial tears. Open one tube every day and use it. If it is not used up, throw it away as soon as possible and do not reuse it to avoid damaging the window of the soul, which is not worth the gain.
Source:
Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Keratitis Associated With Artificial Tear Use
Outbreak of Extensively Drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Associated with Artificial Tears
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