Two other women have lost vision in at least one of their eyes and suffer other painful symptoms such as ulcers after using the bacteria-ridden eye drops that have now been linked to three deaths worldwide.
The drops, EzriCare’s Artificial Tears, have been withdrawn from the market and are now the subject of a CDC investigation.
So far, at least 68 cases have been identified in the US in which people who used them suffered vision loss and other symptoms.
Nancy Montz of Ohio spent three weeks in the hospital after suffering a corneal ulcer. She has now completely lost vision in her left eye.
Renee told CNN that she now has severe and permanent scarring on her cornea that has resulted in loss of vision, and she can now only partially see while wearing glasses that feel like they’ve been dipped in oil.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 68 people in 16 states were diagnosed with infections from the bacteria on EzriCare, which caused three deaths and eight people who lost their vision, and four people who had to have their eyeballs removed.
Some have had to have operations to remove their eyeballs and three people, who have not yet been identified, have died as a result.
Nancy Montz of Ohio and Renee Martray of South Carolina are the latest victims.
Both women have lost partial vision in at least one of their eyes.
renee said CNN that she now has severe and permanent scarring on her cornea that has resulted in loss of vision, and that she can now only partially see while wearing glasses that feel as if they have been dipped in oil.
Nancy spent three weeks in the hospital after suffering a corneal ulcer.
He has now completely lost vision in his left eye.
Their stories are similar to those of Clara Oliva, 68, who is now registered as legally blind, and Adam Di Sarro, a Florida fire captain.
Clara Oliva, 68, is now registered as legally blind. They had to remove her eyeball and replace it with a plastic one.
Oliva is now suing the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the drops
‘Redness appeared, irritation appeared, very itchy, and it was abnormal.
“It just got progressively worse, to the point where I couldn’t even see for a few hours,” she told CBS sobbing in an interview.
Both have initiated legal action against the manufacturer of the drops.
According to Oliva’s attorney, Natasha Cortes, she was using EzriCare Artificial Tears before developing the infection.
‘My client is terribly injured and is now legally blind. I am currently investigating others similarly injured by this recalled product,” Cortés stated.
According to the lawsuit, Oliva began using EzriCare Artificial Tears in May of last year.
Adam Di Sarro, pictured, broke down as he talked about how his battle with the superbug Pseudomonas aeruginosa “just got progressively worse”
Di Sarro’s left eye, pictured, started to feel strange after using the eye drops. He is now suing the company for the long-term damage and blindness it has caused him.
Months later, his right eye became “red, swollen, and abnormally watery.” He then developed a bacterial infection that caused an ulcer on his cornea and impaired vision for him.
“Given the severity of the infection in Ms. Oliva’s right eye, the exhaustion of treatment methods, and the risk of the infection spreading systematically creating a life-threatening condition, it was determined that an enucleation of Ms. Oliva’s right eye Ms. Oliva was the best.” option to control severe antibiotic-resistant infection,’ the lawsuit states.
The CDC is urging patients who have used EzriCare or Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears and have noticed symptoms of an eye infection to seek medical attention “immediately.”
Signs of an eye infection include yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye; eye pain or discomfort; redness of the eye or eyelid; sensation of something in the eye; increased sensitivity to light; and blurred vision, reports the CDC.
As of March 14, a reported 68 patients in 16 states have been infected with this ‘rare strain’ of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
