The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a voluntary recall of certain brands of eye drops found to be contaminated with fungi and bacteria.
Dr Berne’s products include MSM 5 percent solution eye drops, MSM 15 percent solution eye drops, and castor oil eye drops. MSM MIST drops 5% solution
“Use of contaminated eye drops can cause mild to severe vision-threatening infections that can progress to life-threatening infections in some cases. We have received two reports of adverse events,” the FDA said in a statement Saturday.
Earlier this week, the FDA said that if you purchased the product, you should “dispose of it properly,” saying, “Using contaminated eye drops can cause mild to severe vision-threatening infections and can be life-threatening. It can progress to a threatening infection,” he said. “
Both products are sold online and are considered illegal because they contain an ingredient called methylsulfonylmethane (MSM).
“These products are unlicensed drugs and are illegally marketed in the United States. No ophthalmic drug containing MSM as an active ingredient is legally marketed,” the agency added.
MSM is a widely used compound in alternative medicine and is sometimes used to treat arthritis, but it is not approved for use as an eye drop.
Although there have been no reports of injuries so far, contaminated eye drops can pose a serious danger to consumers. However, the FDA said, “People with signs or symptoms of an eye infection should consult a health care professional or seek immediate medical attention.”
The FDA tested the product and found it to be contaminated with microbes and not sterile.
“Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, eye drops must be sterile for safe use,” he added.
Dr. Byrne’s MSM Drop 5 Percent Solution contains a bacterial contamination known as Bacillus and a fungus called Exophylla.
LightEyez drops contained three types of bacterial contamination: Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium, Mycolibacterium, and Methylolblum.
For this reason, Dr. Byrne “verbally agreed” to “voluntarily recall” Dr. Byrne’s 5 percent MSM drop solution on August 21, the agency announced.
The FDA said it emailed LightEyez Limited to discuss concerns about the company’s products. LightEyez has not yet responded to the FDA.
Earlier this year, four people were reported to have died and others to have gone blind due to drug-resistant bacteria found in recalled eye drops.
At the time, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an update on Friday (May 19), warning the public of rising deaths and injuries from the germ.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 81 patients in 18 states have been affected by the bacterium after using Ezrikea or Delsam Pharma’s artificial tear products.
A contaminated product manufactured by India-based firm Pharma Healthcare was recalled in February, after which at least seven patients were diagnosed. In addition to the four deaths, 14 were blinded and four had their eyes surgically removed.
A U.S. health inspector visited the plant and found a failure to maintain sterility.
