CDC issues warning about lens solution

ATLANTA (AP) — Government officials are warning people to throw away a contact lens solution after an investigation linked it to a rare eye infection.

The warning concerns AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution, used for cleaning and storing soft contact lenses, said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The solution seems to be a factor cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis, a painful eye infection that can lead to permanent vision loss or blindness.

The CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating 138 confirmed cases.

The solution is made by Advanced Medical Optics Inc., a publicly traded company based in Santa Ana, Calif. A message left with a company spokesman was not immediately returned.

CDC officials said people should discard the solution, throw out their current contact lenses and toss the lens storage case. All of them may harbor the infecting amoeba, said Michael Beach, team leader in the CDC's division of parasitic diseases.

An estimated 85 percent of U.S. cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis occur in contact lens users, but it's extremely unusual — the estimated prevalence is one to two cases per 1 million contact lens wearers. Contact lens wearers who practice proper lens care and people who don't wear contact lenses can still develop the infection.

It's hard to diagnose and treat — and some of the drugs used to fight the infection are available only overseas or from compounding pharmacies.

The government's investigation began in 2004, when a University of Illinois-Chicago ophthalmologist — Dr. Elmer Tu — noticed more than a dozen cases of the infection. Normally, he might see only one or two in a year, Tu said.

UIC doctors saw 35 patients with the condition from May 2003 through September 2006. About 55 percent used the Advanced Medical Optics product exclusively, Tu said.

UIC investigators think the infection is not originating in the manufacturing process, but that the cleaning solution is not protecting people from the infection, which they get in their eyes through showering or swimming, Tu said.

The amoeba that causes the infection is naturally present in soil and water. Wearing contact lenses while swimming or in the hot tub appears to increase the risk of infection.