1 Day Acuvue contact lenses have been recalled by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in 24 countries, not including the USA or Canada, following reports of irritation, stinging and pain among some users. J&J described the incident as “an isolated issue in one portion of the lens rinsing process on a particular manufacturing line affecting a limited number of lots”. One of the substances used during manufacturing was not completely removed during the rinse, the company says.

The company believes the source of the problem is in the Republic of Ireland, where the product is produced.

The recall, which initially only affected Japan and some other Asian countries, is now extended to Australia, Germany, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.

This is J&J’s ninth recall of a consumer health product in one year.

J&J say that approximately 100,000 boxes are affected. Each box carries 30 or 90 lenses.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Gary Esterow, a J&J spokesperson, said:

The risk of long-term health consequences is very unlikely. In most instances, people put a lens in one eye, realized it was uncomfortable and took it out

Esterow added that the manufacturing equipment has been examined, and the cause of the problem has been corrected.

1-Day Acuvue TruEye, the world’s first daily disposable contact lens, is manufactured using a new breathable silicone hydrogel material – Narafilcon A – a new silicone hydrogel material saturated with a locked-in super smooth wetting agent. The lenses are designed to be worn only once, and are then discarded – so users do not have to be concerned about soaking solutions or lens cases.

Source: Johnson and Johnson, Associated Press

Written by Christian Nordqvist