Bausch & Lomb's MoistureLoc caused blinding infections — 60 needed corneal transplants

Bausch & Lomb launched ReNu with MoistureLoc in 2004 as an enhanced version of its popular ReNu contact lens solution, promising extra moisture for lens wearers. But the formula had a hidden flaw: it was vulnerable to Fusarium, a fungus found in soil and water that could grow in the solution if a bottle was contaminated. Between June 2005 and September 2006, the CDC recorded 180 confirmed cases of Fusarium keratitis — a severe infection that inflames the cornea and can cause blindness — in users of the product.

Bausch & Lomb's response was slow and uneven. The company first suspended sales in Singapore in February 2006 after 39 cases were reported there, but continued selling in the US for another two months. On 11 April 2006, after the CDC announced a high statistical correlation between MoistureLoc and the infections, B&L finally stopped shipments. The damage was already done: 60 patients required corneal transplants and 7 patients lost an eye entirely. Two class action lawsuits were filed.

In 2009, Bausch & Lomb paid $250 million to settle approximately 600 lawsuits. The crisis had already cost the company its reputation. B&L was acquired by private equity firm Warburg Pincus in 2007, and later sold to Valeant Pharmaceuticals in 2013 for $4.5 billion. The recall is studied as a case study in both product safety failures and crisis management — specifically, the danger of responding to a safety threat in one market as if it were a local problem rather than a product-wide defect.