Contact lens wearers throughout the United States and around the world are being diagnosed with an extremely painful and potentially detrimental eye fungus, called fusarium keratitis. The FDA and the CDC recently announced an investigation into the occurrence of this rare fungal infection, detected in an alarming number of soft contact lens wearers using Bausch & Lomb's ReNu contact lens solution. As of April 24, 2006, reports stated that the number of confirmed or suspected cases of the eye fungus had grown to one hundred seventy-six.
In an updated report, the Center for Disease Control listed occurrence of the eye fungus in twenty-eight states. Bausch & Lomb initially stopped shipment of its ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution, and then asked retail stores to completely remove the product from their shelves. The fungal infection is usually found in plant material and soil in tropical and subtropical regions, and is usually contracted when a person is hit in the eye with infected soil, a plant or tree branch. It is not transmitted from person to person and was never associated with wearers of contact lenses until this point. Its high occurrence in users of Bausch & Lomb's contact lens solution products is quite unusual, while at the same time extremely troubling.
There are two basic types of contact lens cleaning solution. Daily care systems consist of several bottles or solutions that rinse, disinfect and lubricate. These products are usually peroxide-based, require several steps in the cleaning process but are highly effective in killing bacteria. The downside is they take a little more time to use.
Using a multipurpose solution, remove your contact lens and put it in the palm of your hand. Apply a several drops of the solution and rub for several seconds. Last, add more solution to the lens to rinse away. Fill you contact lens case with solution and store them until you're ready to wear them again.
You'll be able to find many brands of all purpose lens solutions at your local drugstore, supermarket, or discount department store. Among popular brands, you might find Renu of Baush & Lomb or Opti-Free on store shelves, but each store carries a different selection.
The process of using the enzymatic cleaner is quite simple. All you have to do is fill your the vials or the lens case with the solution and drop a tablet of the enzymatic cleaner. Allow it to dissolve before you release your contacts into the solution so prepared. Leave them for a while, as directed and take them out after that. You may also use another product to disinfect it further if you feel the need. With some of the enzymatic cleaners you may skip the disinfection stage, but not with all. So, it is prudent to check if the one you are using lets you do it or not.
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