Contact Solution Recall Lawyers

What is Microbial Keratitis?

Microbial Keratitis, "MK" (or corneal infection) is a very rare but serious complication affecting around 5 in 10,000 contact lens wearers each year. Microbial Keratitis is a bacterial infection of the front surface of the eye (the cornea), which can lead to vision loss or blindness. Microbial Keratitis or corneal infections are associated with pain, which usually develops rapidly, and severe redness.

Symptoms of Microbial Keratitis:

• Puffiness of the eyelids
• Tearing or discharge
• Sensitivity to light
• Decreased visual sharpness

Because there are similarities with symptoms of other eye infections, early diagnosis by a qualified medical professional is essential for effective treatment of Microbial Keratitis.

What to Do:

If you have any discomfort, promptly remove your lenses. If you continue to experience pain and redness go to an eye care practitioner as soon as possible. Your eye needs to be examined with a microscope to make an accurate diagnosis. Urgent expert medical attention and treatment is crucial in preventing permanent damage to your vision.

**SEE AN EYECARE PRACTITIONER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE**

If you experience any pain and redness you should visit your eye care practitioner immediately. If an infection is left untreated it can quickly become severe, leading to permanent damage to the infected eye. Infection associated with virulent organisms can cause severe destruction of the cornea within 24 hours.

Are you at Risk:

Almost 700,000 people in Australia wear contact lenses, and perhaps 100 million around the world. Contact lens related corneal infections are rare, and affect approximately 5 in 10,000 contact lens wearers annually. However these infections can have serious outcomes such as permanent vision loss and in severe cases, blindness. The study found that loss of vision from corneal infection occurs in almost 1 in 10,000 contact lens wearers annually.

How to Reduce Your Risk:

You can significantly reduce your risk of infection by following good lens care and hygiene practices. Remember that a contact lens is a foreign body placed in your eye, and you need to take care to make sure it stays uncontaminated.

Hygiene for Contact Lens Wearers:

Hygiene is vitally important to preventing infection.

• Always wash and rinse your hands thoroughly before handling your lenses. In the study, simple measures such as hand-washing prior to touching contact lenses were found to significantly reduce the likelihood of getting an infection. The study shows that 25% of patients didn't always wash their hands, and 12% never washed their hands before handling lenses.
• Don't soak or rinse your lenses in tap water or saline, use fresh lens disinfecting solution.
• Don't place a lens in your mouth for cleaning or wetting.
• Clean your lenses on a regular basis as indicated by your eyecare practitioner.
• Throw away all solutions one month after opening, even if there is still solution remaining.
• Clean your lens storage case in warm soapy water at least once a week, and leave to air-dry with the lid off every day.
• Replace your lens case every month.

Treatment:

Several prescription eye medications are available for treatment. However, the infection can sometimes be difficult to treat and the best treatment regimen for each patient should be determined by an eye doctor. If you think your eye might be infected with Microbial Keratitis, see an ophthalmologist immediately.

If you are a contact lens wearer and may have been harmed AMO Inc.'s Complete, call the contact lens solution recall attorneys of Williams Kherkher at (866) 950-9000.