Preservative-Free Eye Drops Linked to Bacterial Infection and Death

A brand of over-the-counter eye drops may be linked to a bacterial infection that left one person dead and three others with permanent vision loss, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A majority of people affected reported using preservative-free EzriCare Artificial Tears before they became infected, according to the Agency in a January 20 statement. EzriCare has issued a product recall. Cases have been reported in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

The CDC has identified at least 55 people in 12 states with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is a type of bacterium resistant to most antibiotics. 

Global Pharma, the company that manufactures the EzriCare eye drops, said that it was recalling the eye drops “out of an abundance of caution.” The OTC formula is designed to treat eye irritation and dryness. The CDC says it received reports of infections of the cornea, intraocular fluids, respiratory tract and urinary tract, as well as sepsis. 

Most people with infections reported using at least one of more than 10 brands of artificial tears, according to the CDC. The majority of these patients reported using EzriCare’s product. 

Testing of open EzriCare bottles identified Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria that are resistant to a broad array of antibiotics. 

“I would find it strange that consumers caused the contamination. The cause is poor GMP's in the production. As I said many decades ago, all contaminated products are due to failure to follow cGMP's and test the product before, during and after production. Preservatives are supposed to prevent consumer contamination—not making up for production mistakes. We have many preservatives that would have killed off the bacteria but idiots think “preservative-free” is a great marketing claim,” David Sternberg, a preservatives expert, told Happi.