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Advanced Medical Optics (AMO)  Complete MoisturePlus Lawyers

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The lawyers and attorneys at our firm are currently offering free case evaluations to people injured by Advanced Medical Optics (AMO)  Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solution.  In May 2007, AMO issued a recall of Complete MoisturePlus after it was linked to potentially blinding eye infections. This followed an earlier recall of AMO MoisturePlus and other products in November 2006. Our AMO lawyers have already helped many victims of recalled AMO contact lens solution.   If you or a loved one were hurt as a result of contaminated Complete MoisturePlus, we urge you to contact one of the compassionate and experienced AMO lawyers at our firm as soon as possible.

AMO Complete MoisturePlus Tied to Rare Eye Infection

On May 26, 2007, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that AMO was recalling Complete MoisturePlus after it was tied to several cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis.  This disorder is a rare parasitic eye infection that can lead to vision loss. Dozens of people sustained life-altering injuries as a result of tainted Complete MoisturePlus, and our AMO lawyers intend to hold this manufacturer accountable for its negligence.

Acanthamoeba keratitis is an often severe, painful infection of the cornea that commonly causes corneal scarring and sometimes blindness. Symptoms of the infection include eye pain or redness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, the feeling of something in the eye, or excessive tearing.  Acanthamoeba keratitis is difficult to treat, and does not respond well to medications.  Acanthamoeba keratitis can require patients to undergo corneal transplant surgery, and sometimes multiple surgeries are necessary.  Even then, many patients never fully recover their vision.

Although Acanthamoeba keratitis is rare, in the three years prior to the AMO recall, various eye-care centers around the U.S. had been reporting increased cases of the infection.  In 2003, researchers at the University of Chicago began tracing 67 cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis, and discovered a significant link between the infections and the AMO solution.  This research caught the attention of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which began its own investigation.

It did not take long for the CDC to link the AMO contact lens solution to the infections.  As of May 24, 2007, in a probe that included 35 states and Puerto Rico, the CDC identified 138 "culture-confirmed" cases and interviewed 46 patients. The CDC found that 36 of those people wore soft contact lenses, 21 reported using AMO Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solution a month before symptoms, and 14 used it exclusively.  Ultimately, the CDC found that people who used AMO contact lens solution had a seven-fold increased risk of developing Acanthamoeba keratitis compared with those who used other contact lens solutions.

The CDC discovery prompted AMO to recall  28 million bottles of Complete MoisturePlus on May 26, 2007.  Consumers were told to stop using the AMO Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solution, and to discard any unused product.  AMO solution users were also told to replace both their contact lenses and their lens storage container. In July, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA)  reclassified the AMO recall to a Class 1 recall because there was a reasonable probability that Complete MoisturePlus could cause serious injury.

Unfortunately, not all AMO Complete MoisturePlus users were made aware of the recall.  Our AMO lawyers have learned of several instances where contact lens users suffered injury from Complete MoisturePlus months after the recall was announced.  It is our firm's contention that AMO did not do enough to publicize the Complete MoisturePlus recall. 

Other Contact Lens Solution Recalls

The AMO Complete MoisturePlus recall was the company's second such recall in a six month period.  On November 22, 2006, 2.9 million packets of AMO Complete MoisturePlus Multi-Purpose contact-lens solution and Active Packs were recalled after lots sold in Japan were found to have bacterial contamination. The recall included 183,000 Complete MoisturePlus units sold in the United States. The contamination became apparent after a retailer in Japan complained that some bottles of lens cleaner appeared to be damaged.

AMO traced the contaminated units to a plant in China and found that Ralstonia bacteria had compromised the disinfectant in the solution and were eating away at the oxygen in the bottles.  Our AMO lawyers see these two recalls - announced within such a short time of each other - as proof that AMO employed shoddy manufacturing practices.  As a result, some of their customers will have to live with impaired vision for the rest of their lives.  The AMO lawyers at our firm are committed to making sure these victims receive the justice they deserve.

The May 2007 AMO Complete MoisturePlus recall came just over a year after Bausch & Lomb recalled its Renu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution.  Renu with MoistureLoc had been implicated in hundreds of cases of Fusarium keratitis, another rare eye infection that has the potential to cause blindness.   Our AMO lawyers have represented several victims of Renu with MoistureLoc, and are also offering free consultations to anyone injured by this product.

The AMO and Renu with MoistureLoc recalls indicate that the makers of contact lens solutions are not doing enough to insure the safety of their products. In the wake of these recalls, the FDA announced it would be conducting a safety review of contact lens solutions.  An FDA advisory panel is slated to take up the matter in June 2008.  The panel could ultimately recommend that contact lens solutions be subjected to more stringent testing requirements, and that these products bear stronger safety warnings on their labels.

Legal Help for Victims of AMO Complete MoisturePlus

Our firm has represented many victims of defective contact lens solutions with dignity and compassion.  If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of contaminated AMO Complete MoisturePlus contact lens solution, you have valuable legal rights.  Please fill out our online form, or call 1-800 LAW INFO (1-800-529-4636) to discuss your case with an experienced AMO lawyer.