60 Million Consumers Magazine is sounding the alarm on the adverse effects of lens care products. The Medicines Agency considers that there is no danger.
Out of eight brands of lens care products, only one is successful. The test carried out by the magazine 60 million consumers is final. Apart from the Menicon-Menicare soft which is both effective and not very toxic, the other brands have major flaws. There are products that do not clean bacteria, molds and germs properly, and those that clean well but attack the eye. In the first case, the Ophtalmic and Jazz Aqua brands are denounced, in the second, it is Abbott and Complete Revitalens that the file pinpoints. The risk for the eye is very real: the multifunction solutions, intended to clean the eye and the lens, are dangerous for the cornea.
According to the monthly, cleaning products go so far as to increase the risk of keratitis (infection of the cornea) and promote abscesses. Something to think about the 4 million French people who wear contact lenses. The problem is with the controls, says the magazine. These medical devices, the quality of which should be guaranteed, are not sufficiently controlled. The last study on these products dates from 2006. Insufficient, denounces the association: certain brands are no longer adapted to the market.
Less than 10 side effects per year
The Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM), indirectly implicated, reacted by publishing an information point on its site. The Agency first of all recalls that from 2005, it carried out a series of investigations, in particular laboratory checks of these products. And the study of materiovigilance data “does not give rise to any new cause for concern” since less than 10 cases of reporting of adverse effects per year and 5 for the year 2013 were recorded “.
Of course, lens care products don’t get the same close monitoring as a drug. However, as a medical device, these solutions must be covered with a CE marking “which attests to compliance with the essential health and safety requirements applicable to it given its intended purpose”, recalls the ANSM. In addition, if there is no marketing authorization (MA) for medical devices, these products are still subject to in vitro laboratory tests and on animals and a clinical evaluation of its performance and safety.
Precautions for use
Finally, the ANSM reminds that lens wearers must be vigilant and respect a certain number of hygiene rules to avoid eye complications:
– Respect the duration of use of the lens as specified in the instructions. Most lenses require daily maintenance.
– Always wash your hands with soap and water before handling the lenses,
– Follow the instructions in the maintenance product manual
– Observe the expiry date and the maximum period of use after opening the bottle
– Consult your doctor in case of intolerance (irritation, abnormal eye sensation).
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