{"id":3536,"date":"2024-04-04T09:03:04","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T09:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=3536"},"modified":"2024-04-04T09:27:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T09:27:40","slug":"amid-recalls-are-eye-drops-safe-to-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=3536","title":{"rendered":"Amid Recalls, Are Eye Drops Safe to Use?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-1n0orw4 e1wiw3jv0\">Here\u2019s why some products have been pulled from store shelves, and what to know to protect your eyes.<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Dozens of eye drops and ointments have been pulled from store shelves after <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/article\/eye-drops-recall-explained.html\" title>a wave of recalls<\/a> in 2023 and 2024, raising concerns about whether products used to relieve dry or irritated eyes are safe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Most recently, the drug company Brassica Pharma recalled <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/02\/27\/business\/eye-ointments-recall.html\" title>four eye ointments<\/a> sold in stores, including Walmart and CVS, after a Food and Drug Administration <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/safety\/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts\/brassica-pharma-pvt-ltd-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-equate-lubricant-eye-ointment-equate-stye\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">inspection<\/a> flagged potential sterility issues. There have been no reports of health problems linked to the ointments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Although recent warnings may seem unsettling, the recalls are evidence that health safety systems are working, said Tim Corson, a professor at the University of Toronto who specializes in developing new drugs for eye diseases.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-kypbrf eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-4cc222d8\">Why are so many eye products being recalled?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The recalls have largely involved over-the-counter eye drops and ointments, including <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/drugs\/drug-safety-and-availability\/fda-warns-consumers-contaminated-copycat-eye-drops\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u201ccopycat\u201d eye drops<\/a>, which are designed to look like common brands but haven\u2019t been approved by the F.D.A. and sometimes carry misleading health claims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Eye-care products have a higher risk of health harm because they\u2019re applied directly to the eye, which means they can bypass some of the body\u2019s natural defenses against contaminants. And manufacturing and storing them in a way that is sterile is also difficult, explained Gary Novack, a clinical professor of ophthalmology and vision science at the UC Davis School of Medicine and president of PharmaLogic, which consults companies on drug development. For example, eye drops contain <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu\/eyeforum\/tutorials\/artificial-tears.htm\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">sodium chloride<\/a>, or salt, and some \u201cbugs like to grow in salty water,\u201d Dr. Novack said<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">These challenges can cause problems that lead manufacturers to pull a product from shelves. But Dr. Corson said the recent jump in recalls most likely relates not to an increase in manufacturing issues, but increased oversight: In-person F.D.A. inspections have ramped back up after declining early in the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Novack added that he has observed stepped-up regulatory scrutiny of eye care products after a February 2023 recall of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/safety\/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts\/global-pharma-healthcare-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-artificial-tears-lubricant-eye-drops-due\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">imported eye drops<\/a> that <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/04\/03\/health\/superbug-eyedrops-blindness.html?pgtype=Article&amp;action=click&amp;module=RelatedLinks\" title>affected dozens<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171d1bw\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F04%2Fwell%2Flive%2Feye-drops-recall-safety.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F04%2Fwell%2Flive%2Feye-drops-recall-safety.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F04%2Fwell%2Flive%2Feye-drops-recall-safety.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F04%2Fwell%2Flive%2Feye-drops-recall-safety.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s why some products have been pulled from store shelves, and what to know to protect your eyes.Dozens of eye drops and ointments have been pulled from store shelves after a wave of recalls in 2023 and 2024, raising concerns about whether products used to relieve dry or irritated eyes are safe.Most recently, the drug company Brassica Pharma recalled four eye ointments sold in stores, including Walmart and CVS, after a Food and Drug Administration inspection flagged potential sterility issues. There have been no reports of health problems linked to the ointments.Although recent warnings may seem unsettling, the recalls are evidence that health safety systems are working, said Tim Corson, a professor at the University of Toronto who specializes in developing new drugs for eye diseases.Why are so many eye products being recalled?The recalls have largely involved over-the-counter eye drops and ointments, including \u201ccopycat\u201d eye drops, which are designed to look like common brands but haven\u2019t been approved by the F.D.A. and sometimes carry misleading health claims.Eye-care products have a higher risk of health harm because they\u2019re applied directly to the eye, which means they can bypass some of the body\u2019s natural defenses against contaminants. And manufacturing and storing them in a way that is sterile is also difficult, explained Gary Novack, a clinical professor of ophthalmology and vision science at the UC Davis School of Medicine and president of PharmaLogic, which consults companies on drug development. For example, eye drops contain sodium chloride, or salt, and some \u201cbugs like to grow in salty water,\u201d Dr. Novack saidThese challenges can cause problems that lead manufacturers to pull a product from shelves. But Dr. Corson said the recent jump in recalls most likely relates not to an increase in manufacturing issues, but increased oversight: In-person F.D.A. inspections have ramped back up after declining early in the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr. Novack added that he has observed stepped-up regulatory scrutiny of eye care products after a February 2023 recall of imported eye drops that affected dozens.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3538,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3536"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3539,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3536\/revisions\/3539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}