What is Fusarium keratitis?

Fusarium is a fungus that can cause infections of the eye. The fungus can infect the cornea, the clear tissue on the surface of the eye, which may lead to scarring and vision loss. If the scarring is extensive, a cornea transplant may be needed. When detected early, anti-fungal drops are used to treat the infection.

Recently, Bausch & Lomb Inc. halted U.S. sales of its ReNu with MoistureLoc solution on April 10 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed it was investigating a link between Fusarium keratitis infections in Americans using the product. So far the CDC had received 191 reports, including 86 confirmed cases. [link to AP]