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Bausch & Lomb Collaborates with Experts to Investigate
Extent and Cause of Fungal Eye Infections

FOR RELEASE FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2006

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Bausch & Lomb is collaborating in a scientific investigation with health authorities and leading experts around the world including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami, Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, and the Ministries of Health in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, to determine the extent and cause of an increase in a rare fungus infection among contact lens wearers that first surfaced in certain parts of Asia.

Based on the Company's data to date and consultations with leading epidemiologists, Bausch & Lomb believes that the root cause of these infections is not related to a specific contact lens or lens-care product.

Reports of an unusual incidence of Fusarium keratitis among contact lens wearers first came from health authorities in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia.  Because these infections are rare, there now is a heightened level of awareness and surveillance surrounding this issue in other markets, resulting in reports of cases from a variety of locations.  Efforts to enhance surveillance programs that track the incidence of the fungal infections are now in place in the U.S., Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Specifically,

  • Bausch & Lomb initiated contact with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a system to investigate and track the incidence of these infections.  Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute is working with the CDC to implement a surveillance program involving leading corneal treatment centers in the U.S.
  • Bausch & Lomb is working with independent experts in microbiology to collect and culture clinical isolates of Fusarium from patient samples to identify the genetic make-up of the organisms, and to determine if they represent an uncommon variant of the fungus.
  • Bausch & Lomb is collaborating with health authorities in Singapore and Hong Kong in completing a case control study to assess what common factors existed among the patients with infections.
  • Bausch & Lomb has met with leading optometrists and ophthalmologists to raise the level of awareness of the situation and assist in public health-information programs.

Evidence Suggests Proper Lens Care is Paramount

Many of the reported cases in Asia involved examples of poor patient compliance with lens care regimens and contact lens wear, including wearing expired lenses and re-using daily disposable contact lenses.

In the interest of good public health, Bausch & Lomb, a world leader in contact lenses and lens care products, urges contact lens wearers to follow good hygiene and proper lens care practices to prevent infection.  Contact lens wearers are advised to:

  • carefully follow the contact lens wearing and replacement instructions recommended by eye care practitioners;
  • carefully follow the care and cleaning regimens recommended by eye care practitioners and outlined in the patient information material that comes with the lens-care products;
  • use the proper product to both clean and disinfect contact lenses (saline solutions and rewetting drops are not designed to disinfect lenses);
  • never reuse lens-care products; discard used product and only use fresh solution to ensure proper cleaning and disinfection;
  • choose a well-known, respected lens-care brand purchased from a reputable merchant to avoid unreliable, unregulated so-called "knock-off" products;
  • contact an eye care practitioner immediately if they experience eye pain, discharge, unusual redness, light sensitivity or sudden blurry vision.

Extensive Testing Confirms Sterility and Efficacy of ReNu ® Multi-Purpose Solutions

When the first reports of the unusual spike in contact lens-related Fusarium keratitis in Singapore and Hong Kong first came to the attention of Bausch & Lomb, the Company immediately suspended sales of ReNu multi-purpose solutions there and initiated an extensive series of additional tests on the sterility and biocidal efficacy of its products.  The results have yielded no evidence to suggest that the products in any way caused or contributed to the infections.  Moreover, health authorities in Hong Kong and Shanghai reported that their independent tests of samples of ReNu multi-purpose solutions obtained in those markets confirmed that the products are sterile.  Examples of the Company's test results are listed below.

  • Product from the lots of ReNu® with MoistureLoc ® multi-purpose solution that were identified as being used by patients in Singapore and Hong Kong, were tested and proved to be stable, sterile and highly effective in killing the fungus.
  • Product from the lots of ReNu with MoistureLoc and ReNu® MultiPlus ® multi-purpose solutions that were shipped to Hong Kong and Singapore were tested and proved to be stable, sterile and highly effective in killing the fungus.
  • Product samples collected from the Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore markets were tested with a full panel of biocidal challenge organisms and full chemical testing was performed.  All testing indicated that the samples were within specification and highly effective in killing bacteria and fungi.
  • Bausch & Lomb's FDA-certified manufacturing facility in South Carolina has been extensively tested; all product samples pass rigorous sterility, safety and efficacy tests and environmental monitoring confirms that the facility is in full compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices.

ReNu multi-purpose solutions meet the stringent safety, efficacy and quality standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and similar health agencies around the world.  In fact, Bausch & Lomb has determined that among the major brands of contact lens care products, ReNu multi-purpose solutions have unsurpassed disinfecting efficacy against Fusarium as well as other known ocular pathogens.

Bausch & Lomb indicated that this situation is expected to reduce first quarter vision care revenues in the Asia region by as much as $10 million versus the Company's internal expectations.  Hong Kong and Singapore are relatively small markets, but the publicity associated with the unusual incidence has spread beyond their borders.  That has depressed sales in other areas, particularly China, which is being impacted despite the fact that there have been no reports of Fusarium infections among contact lens wearers there.

Bausch & Lomb is the eye health company, dedicated to perfecting vision and enhancing life for consumers around the world.  Its core businesses include soft and rigid gas permeable contact lenses and lens care products, and ophthalmic surgical and pharmaceutical products.  The Bausch & Lomb name is one of the best known and most respected healthcare brands in the world.  Founded in 1853, the Company is headquartered in Rochester, New York.  Bausch & Lomb's 2004 revenues were $2.2 billion; it employs approximately 12,400 people worldwide and its products are available in more than 100 countries.  More information about the Company can be found on the Bausch & Lomb Web site at www.bausch.com . Copyright Bausch & Lomb Incorporated.

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