Screenshots

'We were in the nick of time with Jermaine,' Prof Tan told The Straits Times last night from Brazil, where he was to give a talk on managing corneal transplant problems at the World Ophthalmology Congress.

'The fungi had almost eaten all the way through the cornea. One more day and it could have been too late.'

If Jermaine had not been treated in time, doctors would have had to remove his entire eye to save his life.

For now, Jermaine has recovered about 60 per cent of the sight in his left eye, but his vision remains blurry. And he will have to use spectacles from now on, said Prof Tan.

According to the Straits Times, Tan was one of 10 contact-lens users diagnosed with a fungal infection in January, and one of 22 since May last year.

Earlier, the Singapore Health Ministry said the 18 patients it had traced all used Bausch & Lomb's ReNu multipurpose contact lens solution.

Feb 22, the Ministry of Health in Singapore was reported by the media to have urged contact lens wearers to stop using Bausch & Lomb's ReNu lens solution, because of a 'very strong association' between the solution and a recent spate of fungal corneal infections (see screenshot above).

However, the Straits Times also clarified that those infected all wore disposable lenses from different companies and of various types, ranging from daily to monthly disposables.

Of those infected, 13 had used lenses beyond the recommended period, and 11 had slept with the lenses on.

Chronology of events

According to the Straits Times story, Jermaine had done everything by the book. He told the paper that he had been 'diligent' in his eye and lens care since switching from spectacles to contact lenses three years ago.

He saw a doctor immediately when he felt a sharp pain in his left eye last month. He was given some eye cream but it did not ease the pain.

So he went to another doctor, who said it was serious and sent him to Changi General Hospital. There, he was given two types of eye drops to apply every half hour.

He was referred to the SNEC when tests confirmed he had a fungal infection. In spite of eyedrops as well as oral and intravenous medication, his eyesight worsened and only a transplant could save his sight.

Bausch & Lomb has since removed all ReNu contact lens solutions off the shelves in the Singapore and Hong Kong markets, pending investigations.

On March 10, Reuters reported that Bausch & Lomb had announced that the company has decided on a compensation plan for customers in Singapore.

However, Bauch & Lomb South-East Asia managing director Foo Eng Chuan refused to accord the Malaysian market the same treatment by withdrawing the products pending the outcome of investigations.

Industry sources alerted Screenshots that Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei share the same consignment of ReNu, which is manufactured in the USA.

Feb 25, Foo was quoted in The Star as saying that his company would not suspend the sales of ReNu multi-purpose solution in Malaysia. Reason: "There had been no report of corneal infection in Malaysia so far."

However, after reading Screenshots today, a Bausch & Lomb ReNu user from Kuala Lumpur has come forward to relate his painful experience.

Nevertheless, the Malaysian Health Ministry has so far been non-chalant over the issue.