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Fusarium keratitis outbreaks show vigilance is needed
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BOSTON — Awareness of the possibility for further outbreaks of Fusarium keratitis among soft contact lens wearers could lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment, according to a surgeon speaking here.
Terrence P. O'Brien, MD, discussed issues surrounding these outbreaks in a presentation at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Summer Refractive Congress. He noted the recall in May of Bausch & Lomb's ReNu with MoistureLoc solution and its possible link to recent Fusarium keratitis outbreaks reported in Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States.
The explanation for the outbreaks that was proposed by Bausch & Lomb was multifactorial, including poor patient compliance with lens care regimens, susceptibility of the wearer to infection, and a protection of Fusarium deposits by the surfactants in the MoistureLoc solution, he said. Use of certain types of soft contact lens may also have affected the normal inflammatory response of the eye, he added.
"Ophthalmic clinicians should have a heightened clinical suspicion for possible Fusarium and other fungal pathogens as causative agents in cosmetic soft contact lens patients presenting with ulcerative keratitis," he said.