Fifth of contact lens infections 'result in eye damage'

Nearly a fifth of contact lens-related eye infections reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) federal database in the US involved a patient who experienced eye damage, a new report has found.

Infections included in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) had patients with scarred corneas, needing corneal transplants, or otherwise suffering a reduction in vision.

The report reviewed 1,075 contact lens-related infections reported to US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) between 2005 and 2015. Contact lens manufacturers, ECPs and patients can all report adverse events related to contact lens use to the FDA.

More than 10% of the reports indicated that the patient went to an emergency department or urgent care clinic for immediate care.