November 9, 2024

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Why is there a Growing Infection from Over-the-Counter Eye Drops in United States?

Blindness and Reports of Deaths: Why is there a Growing Infection from Over-the-Counter Eye Drops in United States?



Blindness and Reports of Deaths: Why is there a Growing Infection from Over-the-Counter Eye Drops in United States?

Last weekend, the American Academy of Ophthalmology held its annual conference in San Francisco.

Members of the academy, including Dr. Genhiro Kiyosawa from Jiyugaoka Kiyosawa Eye Clinic, received an email notification from the conference, warning eye care professionals worldwide about fatal incidents linked to over-the-counter eye drops in the United States.

Blindness and Reports of Deaths: Why is there a Growing Infection from Over-the-Counter Eye Drops in United States?

According to the information, between May 2022 and April 2023, several deaths due to sepsis were reported, and at least one patient was found to have drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

This issue began with two case reports in May 2022, and subsequently, infections spread throughout the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of January 31st this year, eye drop-related infections had affected at least 55 individuals in 12 states, leading to one case of blindness and one fatality.

Subsequent investigations revealed that the cause was eye drops manufactured by an Indian pharmaceutical company, contaminated with drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These eye drops were distributed in the United States through two American pharmaceutical companies. The Indian pharmaceutical company announced a voluntary recall of the affected eye drops before their expiration date on February 1st.

Furthermore, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended the discontinuation of using these eye drops on February 2nd, due to the risk of infections caused by the contaminated drug-resistant bacteria.

Despite extensive coverage in various media forms in the United States, it’s surprising that new cases of infection continue to emerge even six months later. In contrast, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare stated, “We are aware of the infection cases in the United States. These products are not approved in Japan, and there have been no reported incidents in Japan.”

Blindness and Reports of Deaths: Why is there a Growing Infection from Over-the-Counter Eye Drops in United States?

Reference:

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/23c4c7ad59ad0a8a299e8c8be09f1c8a0b67031d

(source:internet, reference only)


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