More ReNu Sufferers After Recall

New Paltz, NYIn the fall of 2005, Kristen Pondi, aged 27, was diagnosed with a fungal infection in her eyes. She had no idea what caused it and it didn't occur to her that it could have been ReNu, her contact lens solution. Unfortunately, Bausch & Lomb didn't recall ReNu until the following May, 2006.

"First of all my doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotic eye drops and the infection cleared up. Then about two months later my eyes got really irritated. I was wearing contact lenses at the time (but I will never be able to wear them again) and used ReNu with MoistureLoc. My eyes were scarlet red and swollen -I looked like I had been crying for days. When I tried to put my contacts in, I wanted to rip my eyes out, that's how much they hurt.

This time I went to an opthamologist. He said that the blood vessels under my eyelids were swollen and that I had some kind of infection recurring in my eyes and something was clogging my tear ducts. They were dry but felt greasy and there was all this weird flaking. I also noticed white bumps just under my eyes and above my cheekbone - right on my skin, like little white pimples, almost like clogged sweat glands. It was horrible.

Nobody had heard about the ReNu recall yet. The opthamologist prescribed an ointment that I had to put on my eyelids twice a day. And I could barely blink my eyes let alone wear contacts. He also gave me allergy drops to help the swelling - an antihistamine. And an antibiotic. I could barely keep it straight what to take. Over the next few months I was visiting him every other week, trying to figure out what the cause was. He said it had to be something in my environment. I changed shampoo, soap, towels, you name it. I washed my clothes with no-scent detergent.

Any kind of wind, air conditioning, even light, irritated my eyes. I couldn't use any cleaning products - anything seemed to burn my eyes and I would pay for it the next day -like there was no protective film over my eyes anymore. I also took steroid drops to combat my dry eyes.

To this day, I am still dependent on medication. If I don't take all this stuff, I wake up in the middle of the night and feel like I have to peel my eyelids off my eyeball. If I cry, they burn.

My Mom gave me ReNu with MoistureLoc. She bought ReNu then found out afterward that she couldn't wear contact lenses so she gave me all the solution. I think she feels guilty now - I made her come with me to the doctor. She saw the problems associated with ReNu first, then I asked my doctor if it could be the contact lens solution and he said he didn't think so because it was a fungus infection. But now I know that so many people have the same symptoms as I did.

As far as I know I will never be able to wear contacts again, and my doctor also confirmed this. I am not even a candidate for lasik surgery because my eyes are too dry. All this medication has cost me at least $700 so far. The Restasis prescription alone is $20 per month. Then every month I also have to get antihistamine allergy drops ($10), pay toward my health insurance every time I visit the doctor ($15) and have to special order Sustane ($12) -preservative-free gel eye drops - because my doctor thinks I have developed an allergy to preservatives.

As if that isn't enough to have to deal with, I also have to be really careful about some foods because the smells get into my eyes. I can't go near onions, can no longer wear make-up or hair spray.

Bausch & Lomb, the makers of ReNu, led people to believe they were a reliable company, but somebody sure screwed up with the making of ReNu. I don't know how this could happen, that somebody could make such a huge mistake.

And now I am paying for their mistake. I feel like this is never going to stop. Even if they pay me. I would rather be cured than receive a huge payment. It isn't about the money, it is about my well-being. I have to wear glasses all the time, I don't feel pretty because I can't wear any makeup. I can't even wash my face with my regular products; now I can only use baby shampoo. Even my pharmacist said people don't get dry eyes like this until they are much older.

I'm only 27, so what will I do when I'm 40?"