Clara Oliva: Florida grandmother sues eye drops maker Ezricare after losing right eye to bacterial infection
MIAMI, FLORIDA: A 68-year-old Florida woman is suing the makers of EzriCare Artificial Tears, alleging she lost her right eye after using the eye drops that have now been recalled due to possible bacterial contamination. After being registered as legally blind, Clara Oliva became one of eight patients who have lost their vision as a result of using the eye drops.
Olivia claimed she started using EzriCare Artificial Tears in May 2022 and just a few months later, her right eye became "red, swollen, and abnormally watery." She then developed a bacterial infection that led to a corneal ulcer and a decline in her vision. "Given the severity of the infection in Mrs Oliva's right eye, the exhaustion of treatment methods, and the risk of the infection spreading systematically creating a life-threatening condition, it was determined that an enucleation of Mrs Oliva's right eye was the best option to control the severe antibiotic-resistant infection," the suit states.
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'Horribly injured and legally blind'
The elderly woman spent months trying to fight the bacteria with different antibiotics and eventually decided to undergo surgery to get her right eye removed. The doctors later replaced her eye with a synthetic implant. Olivia’s attorney Natasha Cortes confirmed that she was using EzriCare Artificial Tears, which caused her eye infection. "My client is horribly injured and now legally blind. I am currently investigating others similarly injured by this recalled product," Cortes asserted, according to Daily Mail.
The attorney also claimed that the product's lack of preservatives renders it more susceptible to bacterial contamination, which can result in infections like the one Oliva had. “It doesn’t contain preservatives, which are used to fight bacterial contamination of these products," she told NBC Miami. Cortes further noted that she was investigating other individuals who may have been similarly injured by the recalled product. 'It [the product] doesn't contain preservatives, which are used to fight bacterial contamination," the attorney added. "There's likely many more people who have suffered infections who are unaware, like Ms Oliva was."
Symptoms of bacterial infection
Olivia’s lawsuit in March came just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning to the general public advising them not to use EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma's Artificial Tears and Ointment. Cases of the bacterial infection have been reported in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Washington.
Patients who suffered blindness, respiratory infections, and urinary tract infections, among other illnesses, told the CDC that they had used the eyedrops before they fell ill. The agency also found potentially deadly bacteria in opened bottles that they retrieved from patients’ houses. However, it is unclear if any of them had a pre-existing ailment that enhanced their risk. Following the outbreak of the infections, Global Pharma Healthcare, the company that manufactured both medications, announced a voluntary recall.
However, a representative for EzriCare Artificial Tears claimed that research hasn't conclusively connected their products to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa epidemic. "To the greatest extent possible, we have been contacting customers to advise them against the continued use of the product," a company rep stated. "We also immediately reached out to both CDC and FDA and indicated our willingness to cooperate with any requests they have of us."
