Three people have died and eight others have lost their sight as a result of drug-resistant bacterial infections linked to recalled eye drops, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC is warning against using artificial tears from EzriCare and Delsam Pharma, which have been recalled due to the outbreak.
Adam Di Sarro is a Naples, Florida firefighter who has used artificial tears for dryness in his left eye for years. He never had any problems until last fall.
“The redness came, the irritation came, a lot of itching, and it was abnormal,” Di Sarro said. “It got progressively worse to the point where within hours I couldn’t even see.”
Click here to view related media.
Click to expand
Unable to treat the problem with antibiotics, doctors feared Di Sarro would lose his eye.
“That was tough,” he told CBS News. “And it’s still hard because I’m still not at work, it’s been over five months.”
The CDC is investigating a nationwide outbreak of the antibiotic-resistant bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa that has infected 68 people in 16 states.
dr Guillermo Amescua of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami treated Di Sarro with an experimental light treatment that eventually killed the infection.
Amescua said anyone who does anything wrong when using artificial tears should see their eye doctor as soon as possible.
Di Sarro is suing for negligence and hoping the surgery will restore his left eye. Neither EzriCare nor Amazon, where Disarro bought the eye drops, wanted to comment.
Symptoms of the infection can include pain, discharge, redness, sensitivity to light, and blurred vision, according to the CDC.
In general, to use eye drops safely, people should wash their hands and keep the tip of the bottle sterile.
Trending News
Continue reading