Check your medicine cabinet for these potentially contaminated over-the-counter eye drops.
The Food and Drug Administration warned last month that more than two dozen eye drops sold by companies including Walmart
WMT,
CVS Health
CVS,
Target
TGT,
and Rite Aid
RADCQ,
could pose a risk of serious infections that can cause partial vision loss or blindness, after investigators found unsanitary conditions in the facility manufacturing these products.
The facility was identified in a federal inspection report seen by Bloomberg News as a Kilitch Healthcare India Ltd. factory in Navi Mumbai, India, the news outlet reported Friday. The government report cites unsanitary conditions in the factory, such as workers being barefoot in the facility and falsifying test results so that the products made there appeared to be safe, according to Bloomberg.
Read more: Contaminated eye drops from Walmart, CVS and Target linked to factory in India where workers reportedly went barefoot and faked safety checks
The FDA recommended that consumers immediately stop using products made at this facility. It also recommended that the manufacturer recall all lots of the affected products, which it has not done yet. U.S. pharmacies, however, have been pulling the products from shelves.
Read more: CVS, Target and other eye-drop products pose risk of dangerous infections, FDA warns
The affected brands include:
- CVS Health
- Leader (Cardinal Health)
- Rugby (Cardinal Health)
- Rite Aid
- Target Up & Up
- Walmart
- Velocity Pharma
Anyone showing signs or symptoms of an eye infection after using these products — including pain or burning in the eyes; light sensitivity; or discharge coming from one or both eyes that is yellow, green or clear — should talk to their healthcare provider or seek medical care immediately.
Here’s the complete running list of eye drops that the FDA warns people against using, sorted by their store brand.
CVS Health
- Lubricant Eye Drops 15 ml (single pack)
- Lubricant Eye Drops 15 ml (twin pack)
- Lubricant Gel Drops 15 ml (single pack)
- Lubricant Gel Drops 15 ml (twin pack)
- Multi-Action Relief Drops 15 ml
- Lubricating Gel drops 10 ml
- Lubricant Eye Drops 10 ml (single pack)
- Lubricant Eye Drops 10 ml (twin pack)
- Mild Moderate Lubricating Eye Drops 15 ml (single pack)
Rugby (Cardinal Health)
- Lubricating Tears Eye Drops 15 ml
- Polyvinyl Alcohol 1.4% Lubricating Eye Drops 15 ml
Leader (Cardinal Health)
- Eye Irritation Relief 15 ml
- Dry Eye Relief 10 ml
- Lubricant Eye Drops 15 ml (single pack)
- Lubricant Eye Drops 15 ml (twin pack)
- Dry Eye Relief 15 ml
- Eye Irritation Relief 15 ml
Rite Aid
- Lubricant Eye Drops 15 ml (twin pack)
- Lubricant Eye Drops 10 ml (twin pack)
- Gentle Lubricant Gel Eye Drops 15 ml
- Lubricant Gel Drops 15 ml
- Lubricating Gel Drops 10 ml
- Multi-Action Relief Drops 15 ml
Target
- Up&Up Dry Eye Relief Lubricant Eye Drops 30 ml
- Up&Up Extreme Relief Dry Eye 15 ml (single pack)
- Up&Up Extreme Relief Dry Eye 30 ml (twin pack)
Velocity Pharma LLC
- Lubricant Eye Drop 10 ml (triple pack)
Walmart
- Equate Hydration PF Lubricant Eye Drop 10 ml
The FDA has not received any reports of eye infections associated with these products at this time. But the agency is encouraging healthcare professionals and patients to share any bad reactions or quality problems through the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program. You can complete and submit the form online at MedWatch, or download and complete this form before faxing it to 1-800-FDA-0178.
For more details on the affected eye drops, visit the FDA site.
Read the full article here
