Bausch & Lomb alerted in November to contact lens-related infections

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Bausch & Lomb Inc., which recently halted U.S. sales of a contact lens cleaner linked to an apparent outbreak of a severe fungal eye infection, said Thursday it was alerted last fall to a rise in infections among lens wearers in Hong Kong.

The eye-care products maker suspended shipments of its ReNu with MoistureLoc solution in the United States on April 10 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed it was scrutinizing a flurry of Fusarium keratitis infections in Americans using the product.

U.S. health officials have found no direct link between MoistureLoc and the infections. But a high incidence of the affected patients interviewed so far had used the brand, which first hit stores in late 2004 and contains new-generation moisturizing and conditioning agents.

Without eye-drop treatment, the infection can scar the cornea and blind its victims. At least eight patients have required cornea transplants.

Bausch & Lomb said it cut off shipments to the Far East in February after “an unusual spike” in the rate of lens-related keratitis infections surfaced in Singapore. That discovery prompted Hong Kong authorities to reopen an earlier investigation into infections that had been cropping up since June 2005, the company said.

Hong Kong health officials told Bausch & Lomb in November they had seen an increase in hospital admissions due to lens-related keratitis infections, company spokeswoman Meg Graham said. But investigations by both Hong Kong and company officials found no link to MoistureLoc, Graham said.