\nTwo brands of eye drops may be contaminated with fungus, bacteria, or both, according to a recent warning from the Food and Drug Administration.<\/span>\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nThe warning specifically names Dr. Berne\u2019s MSM Drops 5% Solution and LightEyez MSM Eye Drops\u2014Eye Repair, which both contain the active ingredient MSM, or methylsulfonylmethane.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \nConsumers shouldn\u2019t purchase and should stop using Dr. Berne\u2019s and LightEyez eye drops immediately, the FDA said, as neither are sterile.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nMSM is a compound sometimes used in alternative medicine, and it may have anti-inflammatory or antioxidant properties.<\/span> The FDA said that there are currently \u201cno legally marketed ophthalmic drugs that contain MSM as an active ingredient.\u201d<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nDr. Berne\u2019s MSM Drops 5% Solution and the LightEyez MSM Eye Drops\u2014both sold online\u2014are therefore considered \u201cunapproved drugs.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nDr. Berne made a verbal agreement with the FDA to recall the MSM eye drop product on Monday and recommended that any customers discontinue the use of the MSM 5% Lot# 6786.<\/span> On the product webpage, Dr. Berne wrote that he\u2019ll be doing his \u201cown testing with samples using a [third] party laboratory on all MSM products.\u201d<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nConsumers with the Dr. Berne product can contact the MSM eye drop manufacturer SunStar Organics for a refund.\n<\/p>\n \nThe FDA said it contacted LightEyez on Monday to discuss further steps to protect consumers, but to date, has not yet heard back.<\/span> LightEyez currently still has their MSM eye drop product listed on their website, though it\u2019s sold out.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nNo adverse health events have been reported, but using the contaminated eye drops could result in vision-threatening or even life-threatening infections.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n Getty Images \/ ljubaphoto<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/span> <\/p>\n \nThe FDA\u2019s recent warning is a proactive move, said Loretta Szczotka-Flynn, OD, PhD, Searle-Huang professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences and director of the vision research coordinating center at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.\n<\/p>\n \nIn February, another type of eye drops, called EzriCare Artificial Tears, were recalled due to contamination with drug-resistant bacteria. In that outbreak, the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa <\/em>caused hospitalizations, cases of vision loss, and even death. \n<\/p>\n \n\u201cIt was a pretty bad series of cases. So I think since then, the FDA has really gotten heightened to that,\u201d she told Health<\/em>. \u201cThey went out and conducted some kind of sample testing of other eye drops on the market\u2014presumably they were looking at drops that are unregulated by them, or are coming from small manufacturers that might have had contamination concerns.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nNo adverse events have yet been connected to these Dr. Berne\u2019s or LightEyez eye drops, but these types of fungal or bacterial contaminations can be extremely dangerous, as was seen with the EzriCare recall.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nThe Dr. Berne\u2019s MSM eye drops were found to contain Exophiala, <\/em>a fungus, as well as the Bacillus <\/em>bacteria. And the LightEyez drops that were tested had four different types of bacteria\u2014Methylorubrum, Mycolicibacterium, Mycobacterium, Pseudomonas.<\/em><\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nPseudomonas<\/em> was the same bacteria found in the EzriCare Artificial Tears, though it\u2019s possible it was a different strain, Szczotka-Flynn said.\n<\/p>\n \nRegardless of the specific microbe, anything that grows in what should be sterile solution is cause for serious concern, Szczotka-Flynn added.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cUnder no circumstances should there ever be any live organisms in any eye drops that we use,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n \nThe eye is capable of fighting off different types of fungi or bacteria that come from our normal environment, such as getting water or dirt in your eye, Szczotka-Flynn explained, but weaknesses in the eye can open up the door to issues.\n<\/p>\n \nIn particular, sleeping in daily-wear contacts or not replacing them frequently can harbor organisms and keep them in contact with the cornea longer, allowing infection. (It\u2019s OK to sleep in extended-wear contact lenses, according to the National Eye Institute.)<\/span> Rubbing the eye frequently or scratching it in some other way can also have this same effect, Szczotka-Flynn said.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cSometimes our eye\u2019s defense mechanisms get altered or get threatened,\u201d she said. \u201cThese bacteria or fungi can root themselves in the eye pretty easily.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nAntifungal or antibiotic eye drops can usually get rid of an infection, she added, but things can quickly become more serious.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThe cornea is the window to the eye, the window to the world,\u201d said Szczotka-Flynn. \u201cEven if a corneal ulcer is taken care of and treated, it can leave a permanent scar that will forever affect that patient\u2019s vision.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Reusable Contact Lenses May Increase Risk of Rare, Sight-Threatening Eye Infection<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nOf course, when people buy eye drops, they expect that they\u2019re getting a safe and healthy product. Most of the time this is the case, but it\u2019s important that people do their research before buying a solution that goes in their eye.\n<\/p>\n \nBoth the Dr. Berne and LightEyez drops named in this FDA warning contained an added active ingredient, MSM, though it\u2019s not clear how that may have played a role in this contamination.\n<\/p>\n \nSometimes adding ingredients to eye drops can make it easier for microbes to grow, said Szczotka-Flynn, but it\u2019s hard to know if that was the case here.\n<\/p>\n \nMore likely, she said, there was probably some breakdown in sterility at some point in the manufacturing or quality control process.\n<\/p>\n \nMSM is \u201cgenerally recognized as safe\u201d in supplement form, but the fact that it\u2019s not approved for use in eye drops likely made these two products a \u201cred flag in the FDA\u2019s eyes,\u201d Szczotka-Flynn added.\n<\/p>\n \nIt\u2019s understandable that people might be drawn to MSM eye drop products like these\u2014LightEyez says their product \u201crepairs the eyes and increases overall eye vitality,\u201d and Dr. Berne says the drops \u201cleave your eyes feeling brighter, fresher, and rejuvenated.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nHowever, when it comes to choosing the safest eye drops, Szczotka-Flynn explained, it\u2019s better to stick with well-known, trusted brands.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cBig name manufacturers, you know their quality control is there, you know that they have met FDA standards in their fabrication facilities,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d stay away from generics and I\u2019d definitely stay away from online-only sellers.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The 11 Best Eye Drops to Relieve Dry Eyes<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The FDA has issued a warning about two brands of eye drops for potential fungal and bacterial contamination. The warning specifically names Dr. Berne\u2019s MSM Drops 5% Solution and LightEyez MSM Eye Drops\u2014Eye Repair; both contain methylsulfonylmethane (MSM).\u00a0 No adverse health events have been reported, but using the contaminated eye drops could result in vision-threatening […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1271,410],"tags":[1272,116],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17363"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Young](\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/thmb\/H8Yt_ZAocMjNvasZN8n9T5KURB4=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()\/GettyImages-1158021552-21f728922ab84d6081ab1af641d4441d.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Why Are Contaminated Eye Drops a Concern? <\/span> <\/h2>\n
When It Comes to Eye Drops, Stick With Known Brands\u00a0 <\/span> <\/h2>\n