ReNu Sufferers: the List keeps Growing

October 20, 2006, 12:00AM. By Jane Mundy

Elgin, IL"In May 2006 I got a really bad eye infection and thought it was pink eye," says Amy Hamblin. "When I went to the opthamologist, the first thing he asked me was if I had used ReNu with MoistureLoc."

"Bingo! I had been using ReNu for about a month, just about the same time I gave birth to my daughter. I started using it in the hospital but when I got home my eyes hurt so much that I had to stop using my contact lenses. I also thought the problem might have been with my contact lenses so I switched to disposable contacts.

My eyes were burning so much and over-the-counter drops didn't help at all. That's when I finally went to the opthamologist. He prescribed eye drops and I couldn't wear any contacts. The pain lasted about one month. I had to drive home from Michigan with my husband and had to wear sunglasses the entire time because the light was blinding and exacerbated the pain.

I was really worried. At one point the doctor gave me an eye exam and it had affected my vision. At night I would close my eyes and they would just burn and throb, I couldn't even sleep. Compound that with a new baby - I was a mess. The pain would go away for a few days then come right back, but after a few weeks of using the prescribed drops, it started to go away.

I had used ReNu for about two months - and what an expensive mistake. The contacts that I didn't need were $200, I had to visit the opthamologist three times and had two different eye drops - a substantial amount of money.

I was so furious when I found out I had suffered so much because of this contact lens solution. The first two months of my daughter's life I was dealing with this nightmare. And the makers of ReNu didn't make its recall known that well. If it wasn't for my opthamologist's warning, I could have had permanent damage. I heard on the radio that if you visit Bausch and Lomb's website and you have been using ReNu, they will give you a new bottle of saline solution. As if I trust them to use their product again! "

In May 2006, Bausch & Lomb issued a permanent recall of contact lens cleaner ReNu with MoistureLoc, after determining that some of the solution's components make it more susceptible to contamination by fusarium keratitis, a rare fungal eye infection. Without prompt diagnosis and treatment, the fungus can scar the cornea and blind its victims. To date, many victims who unwittingly used ReNu with MoistureLok have undergone corneal transplants to restore their vision.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently investigating 164 reports of fusarium keratitisinfections. The agency recently confirmed 86 cases of the disease and is investigating another 96 reports. Many more sufferers may not yet have reported adverse reactions to this dangerous product - the numbers of victims increase daily.

In April 2006, the first lawsuit against Bausch & Lomb claiming injuries from its recalled ReNu was filed in federal court. However, information recently gathered alleges that the company knew of side affects with ReNu in November 2005, when the company was alerted to eye infection risk from Hong Kong health officials. This delay has caused countless suffering from victims of ReNu worldwide.

Bausch & Lomb also makes ophthalmic drugs and vision-correction surgical instruments, generating more than $2 billion in annual revenues. It employs 13,700 people.