Investigators probing the outbreak of fungal keratitis among contact wearers in Asia are now looking into similar cases reported in the United States.
It was last month when sales of Bausch & Lomb’s ReNu multipurpose solution were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore following the abnormally high number of reports of fungal keratitis in the two cities.
In an update on the unusual outbreaks of Fusarium keratitis, the global eye care giant said it was aware of reports of cases in other countries, including Malaysia and the United States, the former telling B&L to 'ascertain the safety' of its ReNu product.
However, this week B&L commented that initial evidence from Singapore suggests the cause of infections is not related to a specific lens care product.
‘According to the Singapore health authorities, most of the contact lens-related fungal keratitis infections in that country involved patients with histories of poor contact lens care practices,’ said a B&L spokeswoman, adding that the company is implementing consumer education programmes to raise public awareness of the importance of good hygiene and proper lens care.
‘As the normal incidence rate of these infections in many markets is not well-understood, the company is working with health authorities to improve reporting of cases, and has contacted corneal specialists and treatment centres throughout the world to assess whether there are unusual trends in any other regions.’
Laboratories in Singapore, Hong Kong and the US are culturing clinical isolates of Fusarium from patient samples to identify the genetic make-up of the organisms, and to determine whether they are different from the strain used in industry-wide standard biocidal efficacy testing. In addition, the clinical isolates will be used to conduct biocidal efficacy testing with all the leading brands of lens care products.
B&L is collaborating with the Singapore National Eye Centre, which is conducting a case control study to assess whether any common factors, beyond contact lens wear, existed among the patients with infections.
The company also is working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate and track the incidence of these infections around the world, and has asked the famed Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University to implement a surveillance program in leading corneal treatment centres throughout the United States.