Acanthamoeba Keratitis
According to officials at the Centers for Disease Control, users of Advanced Medical Optics’ Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose solution are seven times more likely to develop an Acanthamoeba keratitis infection.
Based upon the CDC’s assessment of the risk of infection, the company issued a global recall for AMO Complete on May 25, 2007.
To The Right: Early inflammation due to Acanthamoeba keratitis.
(Photo courtesy of Dan B. Jones, M.D.)
The source of Acanthamoeba keratitis
Acanthamoeba keratitis is type of parasitic eye infection caused by microscopic organisms found almost everywhere in the environment. Although about 85% of these infections occur among contact lens users, they are extremely rare with only one to two infections per million users.
Based upon the CDC’s assessment, a global recall for AMO Complete was issued on May 25, 2007.
Symptoms of an
Acanthamoeba keratitis infection include eye pain or redness, blurry vision, light sensitivity, excessive tearing or feeling like something is caught in the eye.
If left untreated, this side effect of AMO Complete can cause scarring of the cornea, leading to vision loss and permanent damage to the eye. Doctors estimate that about half of patients who develop
Acanthamoeba keratitis will eventually require a cornea transplant to repair damage from these injuries.
AMO Complete users at risk
So far, the CDC has identified at least 138 confirmed cases of
Acanthamoeba keratitis. Interviews conducted so far indicate that 46% of these infections were among AMO Complete users. Among soft contact lens wearers, the risk of infection was 54% for patients using AMO Complete.
The CDC is currently interviewing patients who have developed
Acanthamoeba keratitis infections in order to learn more about possible risk factors and the link between AMO Complete and eye infection.
