Health officials, investigating the incidence of fungal infection in Bausch and Lomb lens wearers are still confused about the cause of the infection. The only association arrived at is that nearly 50% of those who had contracted the fungal infection had used a lens cleansing solution, manufactured by Bausch and Lomb.
Bausch & Lomb, who are producers of both contact lens and lens solution, feels that the cause of Fusarium keratitis infection is not emanating from the product or the solution. ReNU solution apparently caused the problem amongst its users in both Hong Kong and Singapore.ReNu with MoistureLoc, the company’ s product that stirred a controversy has been withdrawn and manufacture of the product has been shut down. The sale of the lens care product has been stopped in the U.S.
The negative publicity due to the alleged infection in lens has caused a slump in sales, especially in China, despite no infections reported from there.
The infection outbreak is being thoroughly investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to official estimates of the CDC, 106 people have been confirmed to develop the eye infection.
The federal government inspected the Bausch and Lomb factory in South Carolina recently. No evidence of contamination was however found in the inspection. More stringent tests would be conducted in the next few weeks, the results of which are eagerly awaited.
‘It's still too early to say what's causing it,’ said a spokesperson for the CDC.
