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FDA: Ensuring Safe Use of Contact Lens Solutions
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Viewpoint Podcast
Welcome to Viewpoint. I am Dan Schultz, Director of the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
This week the FDA alerted consumers to important information about the labeling and directions for use of contact lens care products. This information stresses the importance of emptying the solution out of your contact lens case after each use and using the rub and rinse method for added effectiveness. Solutions that are left over in the case after a disinfection cycle are essentially “dirty.” Using fresh solution each time helps reduce the risk of problems.
Earlier this year, the FDA convened a workshop called "Microbiological Testing of Contact Lens Care Products," in collaboration with several eye care professional groups to develop consensus on test methods for evaluating contact lens solutions. Based on discussions from this workshop and from a 2008 meeting of the agency’s advisory panel for ophthalmic devices – medical devices for the eyes -- the FDA is revising its recommendations for manufacturers on labeling improvements for these products.
The advisory panel made specific recommendations for product labeling and directions for use including adding a discard date on their products, in addition to the usual expiration date. The discard date is the date the solution should be thrown out after opening.
The panel also recommended that contact lens wearers rub and rinse their lenses for added effectiveness of cleaning and disinfection—a recommendation consistent with advice from professional groups such as the American Optometric Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the American Academy of Optometry. The direction to “rub and rinse” your lenses, based on the advice of your eye care professional, has always been part of the labeling for multipurpose contact lens care products.
To find detailed information about the safe use of contact lens solutions including a video on contact lens safety and a list of “Do’s and Don’ts” please visit our Web site. (embedded link).
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/
HomeHealthandConsumer/ConsumerProducts/ContactLenses/default.htm
Thank you for joining me for this week’s Viewpoint.