- The FDA has designated an Indian factory as a factory for the production of contaminated eye drops
- The agency saw employees walking around barefoot and tampering with the results
- READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE Why You Should NEVER Buy Generic Eye Drops
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled another type of eye drop due to the risk of blindness and even fatal infection.
Now the body has added even more potentially harmful products to the list of drops that will be removed from stores, bringing the total to 27.
It comes weeks after the FDA warned consumers not to buy 26 eye drops that were all private label products.
Consumers were urged to avoid several drops from CVS, Rite Aid, Target and Walmart, among others.
At the time, regulators announced that the safety concerns were related to an inspection at an undisclosed factory where the products are made, which found unsanitary conditions and bacteria.
All eye drops manufactured by Kilitch Healthcare India Limited have been recalled due to safety concerns after harmful bacteria were identified at the facility
Most disturbingly, the bacteria identified was the drug-resistant insect pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Eye drops contaminated with this can cause infections in the user that, in severe cases, can lead to blindness and even death.
Now the FDA has added another product to its list and announced the specific facility in question: Kilitch Healthcare India Limited.
The additional product is Walmart’s Equate Hydration PF Lubricant Eye Drops, 10 ml.
US health regulators are warning consumers not to use 27 brands of over-the-counter eye drops after finding numerous health violations in the factory where they are manufactured
Agency inspectors visited the site last month and found samples showing bacterial contamination, according to a Bloomberg report.
Microbiologists were also found to be backdating test results to make them appear sterile.
In addition, some workers walked barefoot through the factory.
The Indian facility was prohibited from sAccording to Bloomberg, the supply of eye drops to the US came to an end at the end of last month.
Signs of an eye infection include discharge from the eye, pain or discomfort in the area, redness of the eye or eyelid, feeling like something is in the eye, increased sensitivity to light, and blurred vision
And the factory is now recalling the eye drops with an expiration date ranging from November 2023 to September 2025, citing “safety concerns.”
All the recalled products were generic products, two-thirds of which are typically made in overseas factories in countries such as China and India.
“Generic drugs often come from one or a limited number of production facilities, and then the different drug stories put their own labels on them,” said Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, an eye surgeon in California, previously told DailyMail.com.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), signs of an eye infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa include discharge from the eye, eye pain or discomfort, redness of the eye or eyelid, feeling as if something is in the eye, increased sensitivity to light and blurred vision.
The FDA urged retailers still selling the products to stop production and consumers should stop using them.
Consumers can also return them to affected retailers.