FDA Recalls 34 Eye Drops Sold by Major Brands

Potential to cause infection or blindness prompts action, with manufacturing company Kilitch Healthcare India Limited voluntarily recalling 27 products.

The FDA has issued a warning against or recalled a total of 34 eye drops this week, sold by major brands including Amazon, Walmart, CVS, Target, and Rite Aid. Twenty-seven of the eye drops were recalled for their potential to cause infection or blindness, while the other seven are not FDA-approved.
Manufacturing company Kilitch Healthcare India Limited voluntarily recalled 27 eye drop products. The FDA warned against using, buying, or selling 26 drugs sold at Target, CVS, Walmart, and Rite Aid, as they had the potential to cause eye infections or even blindness, due to unsanitary conditions and bacteria found where the products were made.
Amazon is pulling 7 eye drops from its website after the FDA said that these products were classed as 'new drugs' and had not been approved by the agency as 'generally recognized as safe and effective.'
Experts and advocates suggest that the increase in eye drop recalls may be due to reduced regulatory oversight during the pandemic, and that the FDA may now be cracking down after some consumers reported serious health effects.
The FDA has limited legal authority to issue a mandatory recall, often leaving the decision whether or not eye drops are pulled from shelves to the manufacturers or retailers.