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The EzriCare Artificial Tears Lawsuits claim the use of these eye drops can cause an outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA). These infections have led to vision loss and even death. The link between the eye drops and infections was first reported in a January 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alert.
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On January 31, 2023, the CDC recommended that clinicians and patients immediately discontinue use of EzriCare Artificial Tears pending completion of an epidemiological investigation and lab analyses.
The CDC stated it has identified 55 patients with CRPA. At the time of the agency’s alert, the incidents of infection had manifested across 12 states:
The CDC further linked at least 38 CRPA cases to four healthcare facility clusters. Specimens were collected between May 2022 and January 2023. The agency noted that individuals who had used artificial tears or eye drops showed the most common exposure to CRPA infection.
Eighty-five percent of patients who could recall the brand of eye drops they had used named the EzriCare Artificial Tears brand of eye drops. CRPA was detected in EzriCare Artificial Tears opened bottles during lab testing.
The CDC explains that Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a type of bacteria typically found in soil, water, and other aspects of the environment, and which often causes infections in humans.
These infections can occur in multiple parts of the body, including the blood and lungs.
Generally, infections can be treated with antibiotics. Carbapenems, for example, are a class of antibiotic agents used to treat severe bacterial infections. However, one characteristic of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a persistent ability to continually mutate to circumvent the effects of antibiotics. CRPA is the term used to describe Pseudomonas aeruginosa that have developed a resistance to Carbapenems, meaning those drugs no longer work to treat the infections.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections can occur in the blood, lungs, skin, ear, or eye. Symptoms of this type of infection are dictated by the area affected.
According to Healthline, symptoms of eye infection could include:
A medical professional will use lab testing of blood, tissue, or pus samples to diagnose this type of infection.
Because CRPA resists antibiotic treatment, such an infection can become severe, causing serious damage and complications. In some cases, these infections can prove fatal.
EzriCare Artificial Tears is packaged as an eye dropper in a preservative-free solution. The product’s purpose is to lubricate the user’s eye, thus relieving dryness and irritation.
The delivery mechanism of applying the solution directly into the eye could serve as an effective vehicle for transporting bacteria into the body. For this reason, sterility is of paramount importance.
Possibly, a defect in design, manufacturing, or storage prompted the cluster of bacterial infections in users across multiple states.
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