- The Journal Times

12/14/2011 - Sometimes it takes a product recall, such as last month's for more than 6 million contact lenses, to trigger a person's concern for their vision and overall eye health.

On Nov. 16, CooperVision expanded a worldwide recall after certain lots of Avaira Sphere contact lenses - totaling 6.6 million - were found to have silicone oil residue on the lenses, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recall notice. An August recall targeted Avaira Toric contacts.

According to the recall, the silicone oil residue could cause hazy vision, discomfort, severe eye pain or eye injuries requiring medical treatment. The company recommended that any patient experiencing such symptoms contact their eye doctor and stop wearing the lenses immediately, according to the recall notice.

Mount Pleasant optometrist Doug Hinson said the amount of silicone oil left on the contacts was "a very, very small amount, from what they told me."

He said some of his patients wear these lenses, but none experienced issues as detailed in the recall notice.

"One patient came in and said he did experience a little bit of irritation," said Hinson, who operates Hinson Family Vision LLC, located inside Walmart, 3049 S. Oakes Road, Mount Pleasant.

But just like any allergy or sensitivity, no two patients will react the same, and many will have no reaction at all, Hinson explained.

Contact lenses are not the only sources of product recalls.
In another, a fungal eye infection swept through 33 states in 2005 and 2006. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 154 cases were confirmed and patients with these eye infections were at least 20 times more likely to have used Bausch & Lomb's contact lens solution called ReNu with MoistureLoc, according to the CDC.

Investigators determined that 94 percent of the patients with these fungal infections wore contact lenses, and in 34 percent of the cases, patients required a cornea transplant, according to the research.

Newer types of contact lens, made with silicone hydrogel, were designed to allow more oxygen to pass through to the eyeball, some eye doctors and manufacturers said. These extended-wear contacts are billed as "super-permeable," and allow for lengthier periods of extended wear, according to manufacturers and some doctors. These lenses are not part of a recall.

But this type of silicone also is stiffer, Hinson said, likening the older models vs. hydrogels to a person wearing trousers vs. jeans.

"You get tons of oxygen to the eye," Hinson said, which is healthier to the eyeball. However, "there are studies that say 2 to 10 percent of people will have problems with it. The lens gets drier or coated up more quickly. If you get a little extra stiffness, that can cause problems for some people. (In others), it's the silicone."

Optometrist Bruce Savin, owner of Vision Clinic/Dr. Savin and Associates, 1421 Washington Ave., in Racine's Uptown neighborhood, said doctors and patients should work to pair the correct lens solution with patients' tear chemistry and lenses. Some solutions work better with silicone hydrogels than others, he said.

Even with extended wear lenses - of any kind, not just the silicone hydrogels - it is "important for the eyes to have a rest without lenses for at least one night following each scheduled removal," according to the FDA.

However, few people lose vision because of a contact lens problem, said John Warren, past president of the Wisconsin Optometric Association.

But improperly caring for one's eyes can be just as potentially dangerous, if not more, than tainted products, local eye doctors say.

Not following manufacturers' and doctors' recommendations can be fraught with potential risks to eye health and vision, and patient noncompliance remains the No. 1 problem for many eye doctors, Hinson, Savin and Warren said.

"We constantly (are dealing with), and the doctors are dealing with, people who don't follow directions," said Peter Theo, executive vice president of the Wisconsin Optometric Association.

Issues can arise when patients use the product incorrectly, or for a lengthier duration than recommended, Hinson said.

That's when "you increase the risk for a problem astronomically," Hinson said. Those types of patient errors "are the kinds of things we see a lot of."

People experiencing an eye problem also may have a certain amount of denial, Savin said, and delay visiting a doctor. The root problem then may be compounded, and happens more among men than women, he said.

"I'll find a male employee who will go an extra day or two with a metal chip in their eyes," Savin said, adding he then must remove the chip plus the resultant rust ring on the eye. "They (said they) thought it would get better on its own. Or they would wait until it hurts enough.

"We treat a lot of injured eyeballs here," Savin added.

Environmental factors also may affect patients' eye health and vision.

Warren, an optometrist and head of Warren Eye Care, 4060 N. Main St., Caledonia, said he sees patients with eye or corneal infections who also have seasonal allergies.

On the flip side of allergy season is dry eye season, Warren said. Throw in cold and flu season, and all three of these periods can result in eye infections, he said. They affect patients comfort, he said, but don't typically result in vision loss.

Warren said he recommends everyone receive an annual eye exam. If a person hasn't received an exam for five years, they may be unaware they have developed a retinal tear, the retina is beginning to detach, that they have glaucoma or even a form of macular degeneration, Warren and other eye doctors say.

"Macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic neuropathy are more likely to cause loss of vision," Warren said. "Lost vision means you can't get it back."

Cooper Vision Avaira Contact Lens Recall Lawsuit Information::

If you or a loved one have suffered or been injured by defective CooperVision Avaira Toric or Sphere Contact Lenses you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Avaira contact lens recall attorneys of Ennis & Ennis today for a free confidential case evaluation. Our on staff nurse and lawyers are standing by to answer any questions you may have regarding the CooperVision Avaira recall, a possible Avaira contacts class action lawsuit, or any other type of contact lens litigation.