US confirms 102 infections in contact lens blindness scare

AFP, May, 2006

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US health authorities said they have confirmed 102 cases of a serious eye infection that has left contact lens maker Bausch and Lomb Inc. reeling.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that of the total, it had complete data indicating that 54 sufferers had used Bausch and Lomb cleaning solutions.

Data on all of the 102 cases are still coming in. But 25 states spread across the country have reported at least one confirmed or possible case, the CDC said in a statement.

Another 12 cases are listed as "possible" and 81 are still under investigation in a total of 31 US states, it said.

Bausch and Lomb has been forced to yank its best-selling solution ReNu with MoistureLoc from sale after the spate of infections of fungal keratitis, a painful inflammation of the cornea that can lead to blindness.

Its troubles deepened ...