Check your eye drops. Bad bacteria and fungus found in illegally sold brands, FDA warns
Two brands of MSM eye drops, Dr. Berne’s and LightEyez, are the subjects of a don’t-buy-don’t-use warning issued by the FDA on Wednesday.
The warning claims testing turned up contamination in products that aren’t legal to sell in the United States even when not contaminated.
Here’s what you need to know:
What eye drops are involved in this?
The Dr. Berne’s product is Dr. Berne’s MSM Drops 5% Solution, which the FDA says Dr. Berne’s verbally agreed to recall on Monday. But, the company’s website says though “there have been some national news headlines about MSM drops recall,” Dr. Berne’s drops are made in the USA, tested thoroughly and “not part of the CDC-advised recall.”
That’s technically correct, but irrelevant. The FDA isn’t the CDC, and the CDC-connected recall from earlier this year involved Delsam and EzriCare eye lubricant.
READ MORE: Outbreak gets Delsam Pharma and EzriCare eye drops recalled
The LightEyez product is LightEyez MSM Eye Drops — Eye Repair. The LightEyez website says the product is sold out. The FDA says it has reached out to LightEyez about a recall, but the company hasn’t answered “or taken any action to protect consumers.”
What’s the FDA’s problem with Dr. Berne’s and LightEyez?
The agency says its testing found bacillus bacterial contamination and exophiala fungal contamination in the Dr. Berne’s eye drops. The LightEyez eye drops tested as fungus-free, but positive for pseudomonas, mycobacterium, mycolicibacterium and methylorubrum.
“The Dr. Berne’s and LightEyez eye drop products also contain methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) as an active ingredient,” the FDA said. “These products are unapproved drugs and illegally marketed in the U.S. There are no legally marketed ophthalmic drugs that contain MSM as an active ingredient.”
A 2017 article on the National Library of Medicine site explains MSM as a “naturally occurring organosulfur compound utilized as a complementary and alternative medicine...”
What should you do?
If you experience a medical problem from any drug, prescription or over-the-counter, see a medical professional. Then let the FDA know via its MedWatch Adverse Event page or by filling out a form you can get by calling 800-332-1088.
