Nearly 600,000 Contact Lenses Recalled Due to Injuries
Contact lens manufacturer CooperVision Inc. has announced a recall of nearly 600,000 contact lenses, close to two months after reports of eye injuries associated with their use began to emerge. That's not all. The Food and Drug Administration has been very critical of the manner in which the company has gone about the recall, and the limited information it has provided consumers.
The recall was first announced on August 19, when the Food and Drug Administration announced a class I recall of the Avaira Toric lenses manufactured by CooperVision and sold at retailers like Costco, Wal-Mart and others. Class I recalls are the most serious recalls that the agency can announce, and Indiana product liability attorneys expect such recalls only when there is a risk of serious injuries or death associated with the product.
Reports of eye injuries associated with the CooperVision contact lenses began to surface in April, when some consumers began to report problems including corneal infections, scratches, and chronic pain. However, CooperVision announced the recall only in August.
It's highly likely that users in Indiana are not aware of this particular recall, because the company hardly bothered to publicize it at all. For the first few days after the recall was announced, the company had only the minimal information available on its website, merely informing consumers that there had been a recall, and that their contact lenses were likely included in it. There was no mention of lot numbers, and little information that would allow consumers to determine whether their lenses were included in the recall.
The company has now assured the Food and Drug Administration that it will take more steps to publicize the recall. The company’s website now has a checkbox that allows consumers to enter their lot number, to determine whether their contact lenses are included in the recall. There's also an FAQ as well as a consumer hotline number that consumers can call to find if their contact lenses are included in the recall.