Three people have now died, eight others have lost their sight and four patients had to have their eyeballs removed after using eye drops contaminated with a rare bacterium.
As of March 14, 68 patients in 16 states had been infected with this “rare strain” of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, according to an update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Global Pharma Healthcare has recalled its lubricating artificial tear eye drops distributed by EzriCare and Delsam Pharma last month. The drops have been sold at drugstores across the country, including Walmart, Target and CVS, as well as on Amazon, although the products have since been withdrawn.
Health officials continue to track infections as they investigate the outbreak in 16 states, including California, New York, Illinois, Texas and Pennsylvania.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 68 people in 16 states have been diagnosed with infections from the bacteria in EzriCare, which has caused three deaths and eight people with vision loss, and four people who have had their eyeballs removed
As of March 14, 68 patients in 16 states had been infected with this “rare strain” of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC is urging patients who have used EzriCare or Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears and have noticed symptoms of an eye infection to seek medical attention “immediately.”
Signs of an eye infection include yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye; eye pain or discomfort; redness of the eye or eyelid; feeling of something in your eye; increased sensitivity to light; and blurred vision, the CDC reports.
Most cases have been associated with four regional clusters, and Ezricare’s drops are the only product used by patients in each of these groups.
Most patients reported using 10 different brands of artificial tears, but EzriCare Artificial Tears, a preservative-free, over-the-counter product packaged in multidose bottles, was the most cited brand.
The CDC is urging patients who have used EzriCare or Delsam Pharma artificial tears and have noticed symptoms of an eye infection to seek medical attention “immediately.”
Global Pharma Healthcare has recalled its lubricating artificial tear eye drops distributed by EzriCare and Delsam Pharma last month. The drops were sold at drugstores across the country, including Walmart, Target and CVS
HERE ARE SOME EYE INFLAMMATION SYMPTOMS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
Patients who have used EzriCare or Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears and who have signs or symptoms of an eye infection should seek immediate medical attention.
Symptoms of an eye infection can include:
- Yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye
- Redness of the eye or eyelid
- sensation of something in the eye (foreign body sensation)
- Increased sensitivity to light
Source: CDC
The CDC identified the 16 states where patients are infected as California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin .
The recalled drops were made by Global Pharma Healthcare in India, where the bacterium – Pseudomonas aeruginosa – is often linked to hospital outbreaks.
It can spread through contaminated hands or medical equipment.
The outbreak is considered of particular concern because the bacteria that fuel it are resistant to standard antibiotics.
Two case studies published this week in JAMA Ophthalmology and highlighted by CNN provided more details on the infections.
In one case, a 72-year-old woman lost vision in her left eye after using EzriCare artificial tears for about a week.
“She noticed blurred vision in her left eye for a few days,” said Dr. Ahmed Omar, an ophthalmologist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center who treated the woman.
“It was painless at first, but according to the patient and her husband, she woke up one morning and had a yellow discharge on her pillow.
And that’s when she noticed that the appearance of her eye had changed.”
When the woman went to the emergency room, doctors found a large ulcer on her left cornea.
She stayed in the hospital for three weeks and endured intravenous antibiotics, antibiotic eye drops, and multiple surgeries.
She even eventually lost vision in her left eye due to serous choroidal detachment, an abnormal buildup of fluid, according to the study.
In one case, a 72-year-old woman lost vision in her left eye after using EzriCare artificial tears for about a week. She was hospitalized for three weeks and endured intravenous antibiotics, antibiotic eye drops, and multiple surgeries
This scanning electron micrograph from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows rod-shaped Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria
Another case study involved a 72-year-old man who developed significant vision loss due to a corneal infection. It got better later, but he still has vision problems.
He had not previously had any eye problems, but after using EzriCare artificial tears for dry eyes, he experienced severe pain and went to the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, where it was determined that he had multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis.
“When we examined his right eye, we found a severe corneal infection,” said Dr. Marissa Shoji treating the man.
“He could only see shadows and no letters due to the size of the ulcer.”
Doctors gave the man strong antibiotics, but he only got worse.
“We usually expect some improvement from these drugs, but when we saw him two days later, he was getting worse,” she said.
“So we specifically inquired about the EzriCare tears because we knew they were linked to resistant infections that might not respond to these really powerful antibiotics.”
They discovered that cultures from the man’s cornea and the EzriCare bottle produced the same strain of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas.
In another case, a 72-year-old man had a severe infection in his left eye. Although things got better a month later, he still had vision problems
Doctors discovered that cultures from the man’s cornea and the EzriCare bottle produced the same strain of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas
At his two-month follow-up, his vision was 20/400, meaning he can see at 20 feet what healthy people can see at 400 feet
“Eventually he was threatened with permanent vision loss,” said Dr. Guillermo Amescua, ophthalmologist at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.
“He now has what is called corneal blindness because he is 20/400 years old and has a corneal scar, but with a corneal transplant he may have a better prognosis.”
After learning of the CDC’s investigation into Pseudomonas infections in January, EzriCare said in a statement that “immediate action was taken to stop any further distribution or sale of EzriCare artificial tears.” To the maximum extent possible, we have contacted customers to advise them against further use of the product.’