Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) said that a batch of daily wear contact lenses by Johnson & Johnson can damage the cornea of the wearer. "Rogue particles" in the lens solution could be stuck to the lenses when worn. The abrasive particles might end up scratching the cornea of the wearer.

Acuvue Moist for Astigmatism lenses daily-wear has been recalled by MHRA in the United Kingdom. The blister solution, as well as the lenses, can have foreign particles. Washing the lenses with a sterile solution can get rid of the particles. However, if the wearer does not notice the particles before wearing them then, they may end up damaging their eyes.

In a mild case, the contaminated lenses will cause itching and redness. However, there is a chance that the abrasive particles can damage the surface of the eye, causing a corneal abrasion. MHRA has announced that there has not been a case of corneal abrasion reported yet, and the recall of the faulty batch ensures that the chance of such a case is very low.

A woman struggles to apply contact lenses
In terms of germ diversity, the eye microbiome of contact lens wearers had a composition more similar to that of the wearer’s skin than the eye microbiome of non-lens wearers. iStock

Johnson & Johnson have contacted optometrists and opticians to ensure that all faulty lenses are returned to the company and disposed of properly. Opticians and optometrists have been instructed to call all customers who might have purchased the faulty batch to get them to return them. The recalled batches will be returned to the suppliers who will, in turn, return them to the company for disposal.

MHRA has assured that it is only the 1-day Acuvue Moist lenses which have been contaminated. Users of other variants of contact lenses by Johnson & Johnson do not have to worry about their lenses being contaminated.

The Sun reported that Mark Birse, MHRA Group Manager, Device Safety and Surveillance assured customers that the risk of being adversely affected by the faulty lenses was very low. However, MHRA takes the safety of consumers very seriously when it comes to devices and medicines. Birse encouraged contact lens wearers to visit their optician or optometrist if they notice any redness or irritation while wearing lenses.

United Kingdom