More than 3 million eye drop bottles have been recalled from CVS, Walgreens and other national retailers. How to check if yours are safe.
Yahoo • • business
Key Points:
- U.S. health regulators have issued a voluntary recall of 3.1 million bottles of K.C. Pharmaceuticals’ generic eye drops sold under various store brands due to concerns over possible lack of sterility, though no contamination has been confirmed.
- The recall affects eight types of eye drops, including Artificial Tears, Advanced Relief, and Redness Lubricant, with expiration dates from April to July 2026; consumers are advised to discard or return affected products.
- Non-sterile eye drops can harbor bacteria or fungi that may cause serious, sight-threatening infections, as seen in a 2023 outbreak of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections linked to contaminated eye drops.
- The FDA enforces strict sterile manufacturing standards for eye drops, and recalls occur when manufacturers cannot guarantee product sterility due to potential contamination during production or packaging.
- Experts recommend using true artificial tears rather than redness-reducing drops and suggest opting for brand-name products, as recent recalls disproportionately involve generic eye drops.
