PMID: 20126495Feb 4, 2010Paper

Root cause analysis of the fusarium keratitis epidemic of 2004-2006 and prescriptions for preventing future epidemics.

Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society
John D Bullock

Abstract

A root cause analysis of the Fusarium keratitis epidemic of 2004-2006 was performed. Three US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents were analyzed. Poisson and case-control studies were performed on outbreak data from Singapore. Irreversible thermochromic labels were applied to cartons of contact lens solution bottles, which were then subjected to elevated temperatures. The 1997 FDA guidance document concerning storage temperatures of contact lens care products predicted temperature-related solution instability. Bausch & Lomb (B&L) requested FDA approval for ReNu with MoistureLoc, claiming that it was substantially equivalent to other products. FDA Form 483 stated that cases of ReNu-related Fusarium keratitis from Asia had not been reported, the removal of the product from the Asian markets was unreported, and B&L had not performed biocidal testing on samples associated with Asian cases. The outbreak in Singapore could have been recognized after only 3 cases (Pr = .0067). The cause of the Singapore outbreak could have been determined after the recognition of only 3 (P = .0429), 5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-126.0), or 15 cases (95% CI, 1.60-14.1). Thermochromic labels can irreversibly change color when exposed to ...Continue Reading

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