In the US, three people have died from contaminated eye drops and four others had their eyeballs removed.
Over-the-counter eye drops by EzriCare and Delsam Phama have infected at least 68 people in 16 states, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday. The count was from March 14.
“Three people have died and there have been 8 reports of vision loss and 4 reports of enucleation (surgical removal of the eyeball),” the CDC said.
Thirty-seven of the patients were treated in four groups of health care facilities.
The majority of patients reported using artificial tears. The droplets spawned a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that “had never been reported in the United States before this outbreak,” the CDC said.
It is a “rare strain of the extremely resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” the agency said.
The outbreak has been linked to several types of infections, including that of the eye. Symptoms of an eye infection include redness of the eye or eyelid and yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye. Patients may also experience eye pain or discomfort, a feeling that something is in the eye, blurred vision, and increased sensitivity to light.
People who have used the products and have no complaints do not have to be tested.
Health officials are testing unopened bottles of EzriCare Artificial Tears to determine if contamination occurred at the manufacturing stage.
Patients and providers are advised to stop using EzriCare or Delsam Pharma artificial tears until the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration release more information and guidance.
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