14 DAY TRIAL // You want to show off the beauty of your eyes, so you prefer lenses instead of glasses.
But this could harm your sight.
A research made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that a rare and severe eye infection, induced by the parasite Acanthamoeba keratitis, is boomed by the use of contact lenses.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning health care professionals and their patients wearing soft contact lenses to cease employing the Complete MoisturePlus Multi Purpose Solution, discard all partially-used or unopened bottles and replace their lenses and storage containers manufactured by Advanced Medical Optics of Santa Ana, California. "We believe the company acted responsibly in taking this voluntary action and support their decision to be proactive in the interest of public health," said Dr. Daniel Schultz, director of FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. "FDA and CDC are working closely with the company to collect additional information and we will continue to alert consumers and advise them as more information becomes available."
Acanthamoeba keratitis can provoke vision loss and requires a corneal transplant.
The symptoms of the case of infection with Acanthamoeba keratitis can resemble other common eye infections, like eye pain or redness, blurred vision, light sensitivity, sensation of something in the eye or excessive tearing; moreover, Acanthamoeba is extremely resistant to treatment.
It was thought that Acanthamoeba keratitis infects 2 out of each 1 million contact lens users in the US annually. But CDC research found the risk of developing AK to be more than 7 times higher in those consumers employing Complete MoisturePlus solution compared to those who did not. "We are working with FDA, state, territory, university, and clinical partners in an effort to further understand whether usage or contamination of this solution led to these Acanthamoeba infections." said Dr. Michael Beach, a Division of Parasitic Diseases team leader with CDC.