The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is warning the general public against the use of two brands of contaminated eye drops on the market.
The products are ‘Ezricare artificial tears’ and ‘Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears’ produced by Global Pharma.
Manufacturers have since issued a voluntary recall of the products, according to the drug regulatory body.
“The eye drops were found to contain the drug-resistant bacteria pseudomonas aeruginosa and are suspected to have led to three deaths and vision loss in eight patients”, the FDA said in a release.
The products are not registered with the Ghana FDA and should therefore not be commercially available on the Ghanaian market.
“The FDA advises the public who may be in possession of these drugs through other means to immediately stop using the recalled products and submit them to any of the FDA offices nationwide,” the FDA said in the statement.
Individuals who may have unknowingly used these recalled products and are experiencing symptoms such as yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye, eye pain or discomfort, redness, a feeling of something in the eye, increased sensitivity to light, and blurred vision are advised to seek professional care immediately.
“The FDA assures the public that it is taking all necessary measures to ensure that only safe and effective medical products are available in Ghana”, it concluded.