Readers Report CooperVision Contact Lens Problems

Numerous readers have reported problems with their Coopervision Toric lenses since eFoodAlert first posted information on the Avaira® Toric recall on August 23, 2011. Following is a complete list of our readers’ unedited reports.

From Helen on August 27, 2011: My son went to ER due to severe eye pain. His 1st Avaira Toric caused blur vision and rainbow coloring to his vision, but it disappeared couple days later. Then his 2nd pair had the same effect. so he took them off. Then his eye pain started. It was so intense we took him to ER.

From Krystal on August 29, 2011: We are located in Texas in the US and my son was in severe eye pain he had to miss the 2nd day of school. This was a horrifying experience for my family. The pain inflicted on my son was unbearable to watch. After taking him to his doctor then to an ophthalmologist purchasing 3 different prescriptions the bills staked up. His cornea was severely scratched and swollen. A week later he is doing better. We are just praying no long term damage was caused.

From Dan on August 29, 2011: My daughter also had to go to the ER due to severe eye pain after using these contacts. Diagnosed with severe tear to the cornea. Doing better now, scheduled to follow up with an opthamologist today. Contacts were purchased at the walmart in Hampton, VA.

From Ineke on August 29, 2011: I purchased contacts at Costco in Seattle WA and also ended up in the ER with the most excruciating eye pain. ER doc noted that the corneal abrasion was in the shape of the contact lens.Has anyone inquired about reimbursement for medical bills? I incurred several hundred dollars due to the ER visit as well as follow up eye care and lens fitting.

From Holly on August 30, 2011: I purchased the contacts at Costco in Irvine, CA. I also ended up in the emergency room due to severe eye pain and swollen face. I was diagnosed with corneal swelling and a severe corneal abrasion.

From Scott on August 30, 2011: I received a call at work around 2:15 am and it was my wife crying and telling me her eyes hurt and she could not see! I took her to the ER and she was diagnosed with corneal abrasion. These new contact lenses are supposed to be so great… Better vision is what they – Cooper Vision states on their adds, that is a joke. We are going to seek legal remedies on this company!!! And I think this is going to blow up more, that this is only the beginning of complaints.

From Angela on August 31, 2011: I experienced blurred vision in one eye after putting on a fresh pair of Aviara Toric contacts. It was severe clouded vision that lasted for about 2 hours after taking the lenses out. I talked with my optometrist and my eye appeared to be normal, but he thought their could have been a scratch on the eye.

From Annette on September 1, 2011: I purchased the Avaira Toric lenses in Spring, TX through 1800CONTACTS. When I took them out on the first day of wearing them (Tuesday, 8/30/11) it felt like I scratched my eye. When I woke up the next morning I couldn’t open my eyes. The pain was so severe. I went to my eye doctor and was told that both my cornea’s were torn. She gave me a prescription for an antibiotic but I still can’t see well enough to drive. I have never felt pain like this before.

From Mellisa on September 5, 2011: REGARDING AVAIRA TORIC CONTACT LENSE: I’ve suffered a severe corneal abrasion due to this lense. My lot number is involved in the recall. Over the weekend I noticed vision in my right eye was filmy so I removed the contact. About an hour later I was in severe pain in that eye–felt like a bee stiniging my eye. Doctor at the ER said I had a corneal abrasion in the shape of a contact over 15% of my cornea. I called my eye care provider and they said they had no idea of the recall. It’s frustrating that no one from either company failed to notify me that these lenses were defective. I live in Atlanta, Georgia and purchased these lense at a Lencrafters.

From Dee Angela on September 8, 2011: I experienced SEVERE eye pain. It hurt to have my eyes open it hurt to close them. It felt like something was scratching my eye. I have experienced this twice. I was in bed all day. I was going to go to the ER but I decided to take something to put me to sleep.

From Lorna on September 10, 2011: After wearing Bousch and Lomb for years, I went to Costco to get a new prescription of contact lenses and they gave me a pair of these contacts to try… at first I thought that I had picked up an eye infection because we had had been away at a funeral so I was constantly touching my eyes with tissue…when we got back home and my eyes cleared up they gave me a new trial pair but after a few days the same thing happened to my eyes, I am so frustrated because all they did was call me and tell me not to wear them, to throw them out and to come back in for another pair to try. After two weeks of eye drops the lady told me I dont need to use them any more and within a day of stopping the full infection and pain is back. I woke up this morning in pain, my eyes won’t stop watering and I look horrible.I am thinking I will never trust to wear contact lenses again. All I am offered is a new pair to try… I can’t believe that a company can be allowed to get away with this… all their key people should have to go through this themselves and maybe they will take our pain and frustration into account and run their business with some sort of integrity!

From Leslie on September 16, 2011: My son got these contacts as his first time trying contact lenses. He is 12. I am shocked at the thought that these lenses could have harmed my childs vision. He wore the trial pair with out any problems, but when we opened the new box he had problems with the right eye being blurry & sore. We cleaned the lenses overnight & tried them again the next day. We threw away that pair & tried another pair. Still the same. They were blurry & hurt. The right lens did not hurt. We then tried 2 left lenses because his Rx was almost the same in both eyes. That worked. I told the vision center where we purchased them about the problem & they reordered the contacts fo us thinking there was a problem. My son continued to wear the 2 left lenses. He then told me they were itching & bothered his eyes & refused to wear them. Yesterday I found out they have been recalled. I called my eye care provider & they ordered new trials & told him not to wear them again. We purchase the lenses at Wal-Mart in Elkhart Indiana. This was an eyeopeining experience for me.

From Deirdre on September 18, 2011: I too went to the emergency room in July 2011 – severe pain that i cannot describe – I also was treated for a corneal abrasion and sent home with 3 different prescriptions and oxicodine for the Pain!! I am utterly speachless that my eye doctor did not warn me of the recall – I even went to my doctor’s office 3 seperate times complaining of my left eye. I am appalled at the lack of communication and want to know what exactly the “residue” is?

From Deirdre (again) on September 18, 2011: I want to know exactly what this “residue” is and plan on taking legal action. I also went to the er with severe pain in my left eye. This pain was worse than child birth. I too had a severe corneal abrasion. I went to my eye doctor THREE TIMES complaining of my left eye. Why didn’t they know about the recall????? This is pure negligence. I bought my lenses in Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania from my eye doctor.

From Diana on September 22, 2011: I scratched my cornea twice because of these lenses! It was the worst pain I have ever felt and I am still paying off the ER bills. I am furious that these lenses were the cause. My eye doctor called me about the recall, claiming it was due to the contacts causing “dryness” and said they would be replacing my lenses with another type at no charge. This was after the first corneal abraision, which I just assumed was my fault- that I took out the lens improperty, which is what the ER doc said is usually the cause of these abraisions. But I have been wearing contacts for years and this had never happened before. I did not tell the doctor about the abraision, because they only asked if I was experiencing any issues related to my contacts being dry or uncomfortable. Then I had the second abraision this past weekend and thought maybe the recall had something to do with what’s happening to me. So I looked online and found this website and immediately called my eye doctor. The nurse on the phone brushed off my concerns, saying that the lenses were recalled only because they caused dryness. I just went to pick up the replacement lenses and I took a print out of all of these complaints to my doctor. The nurse told me that “You can find anything on the internet” and again said these contacts only cause dryness. Then she gave the print out back to me without even looking at it. I am furious and am switching eye doctors! If they had been upfront with me from the beginning, I wouldn’t have scratched my cornea a second time! And what the heck is this residue? It’s all very scary because I feel like we’re being lied to!

From Court, on September 22: Picked these up on a wednesday. Friday I tore off half my cornea in one eye and scratched the hell out of the other. I have been wearing contacts for over 10 years and i have never had this issue. Pasco, Washington is where I purchased them. Today I got a call from 1800contacts telling me about this recall. I looked up my lot # as advised and they are part of the recalled batch My new eye doctor is meeting with her associates to discuss how they plan on dealing with their patients’ needs. Has anyone heard or filed a class action law suit? I missed a day of work, ruined my labor day weekend and put me through hours/days of pain.

From Richard on September 29, 2011: I started wearing Coopervision contact lenses 4 months ago upon my opticians advice and I have found them comfortable and easy to manage ever since. I didn’t realise there was a recal on some of their products, I was lucky enough not to have experienced the faulty batch, but have the greatest of sympathy with those who have experienced any sort of pain. Found a health advice on the Vision express website really beneficial in the past for any contact lenses related issues I’ve had, might be of some help.

From Brittany on September 30, 2011: I have had redness, constant tearing, swelling, pain , itching and blured vision in my left eye for a couple weeks now since I put in a new pair of contacts. I keep taking my contacts out after a couple of hours of wearing them because they hurt my eyes. At first I thought maybe it was allergies but then the whole area around my eye became tender to the touch and my boyfriend pointed out that the symptoms are only in my left eye. I thought it might be an issue with my contact since that’s when it started so I just looked online and found out about this recall on Avaira Toric. I plan on calling the doctor tomorrow. Also I would like to mention that since I got this order of contacts there have been 3 that I have thrown out because they had visible blurry spots on them that would not come off no matter how much I washed them.

From Christina on October 2, 2011: A friend of mine told me to check on recalls with contacts since I have been suffering with problems since the first week in July. It started when I went for an eye exam and got fitted for new lenses. I was given a new pair and that’s when my troubles began. I had itchy eyes, some burning pain, swollen eyelids and discharge. I have been treated twice with antibiotics and my eyes clear. Then treated as allergies. Every time I put in a new pair I am back to the same problems. Now I am on steroid drops because my eyelid inflammation and itching won’t go away. I have not worn lenses in a month. I can’t believe non of my doctors thought of this. I have spent so much on doctors visits and medications. I am going to tell my doctor tomorrow and contact the company. I can’t believe I have been suffering for months over this. I wear Ultra Flex toric lenses and I bought them the first week of August.

From Jennifer on October 5, 2011: I had the exact same problem with 2 different boxes of CooperVision Frequency55 toric lenses, both from the same lot #3698000705. The first box was bought in April, and after going through half the pack and having the same problem each time I put in a new lens (hazy vision that remained even after taking the lens out and discomfort) I requested a replacement for those lenses. The replacement lenses were fine. I just popped in a new contact from the refill box I received over the weekend and was revisited by the same problem. I stupidly decided to “deal with it” until I got home from work and by that time the pain was unbearable and my vision remained blurred after removing the lens. I went to the ER and the doctor said my cornea has abrasions all over the surface. I am still in pain and hope this doesnt happen to anyone else!

From Steve on October 6, 2011: I live in Phoenix AZ and had the exact same thing happen to me. I ordered my Avaira Toric lenses from Lens.com. First pair made my vision cloud up after 20 minutes. Second pair I left in for 8 hours. When I went to take them out they were stuck on my eyes, so much so that I scratched the surface of my eyeballs taking them out. Pain was so intense I was blind and couldn’t open my eyes for two days. Eye Dr. gave me a salve and pain meds, but there was little relief for the first couple days. Just the slightest twitch of my eyes against the eyelids was agony. I feel for anyone who has gone through the same thing. I’m glad I now know the reason my contacts were messed up, and know it wasn’t my fault.

From Carol on October 11, 2011: I live in Pennsylvania and purchased Frequency 55 Toric lenses from 1-800-contacts. This was in August/september 2010. I had hazy vision in one of my eyes, and ended up in the emergency room with a corneal abrasion. I also experienced about a month later the same issue in my other eye. Why isn’t Cooper Vision recalling Frequency 55 lenses as well. They have the exact same issue.

From Brian C. on October 11, 2011: I had the exact same issue with my left eye and Frequency 55 Toric lens that just happens to be made by CooperVision. I have not seen any mention of this brand in any media. I suffered a swollen eye, discharge, excruciating pain in my eye. I was given drops to clear the issue. This happened 2 months in a row. My doctor looked at me like I was crazy when I said that something is wrong with the lens. It happened the first day of the month for 2 months straight when I changed my contacts. It began with a cloudy spot in my vision in the morning and then an escalating amount of discomfort through the day and finally by the end of the day I could barely keep my eye open. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a spare lens case around or my glasses when I was at work.

From Dani on October 11, 2011: I heard the ending of the news report on the radio this morn, regarding contact lens recall, so I came home to look it up. My husband of 13 years has worn contacts all his life, had a corneal transplant in his right eye and knows what eye pain is….. had me take him to the emergency room last Sun. for his good eye, woke up feeling fine, two hours later blurry vision, eye started getting red, he was then in agony, we were there for seven hours, he kept asking them for numbing drops….they could only put them in so many times w/out causing blindness, he was then given 2 injections over the course of the time we were there for pain. The dr said it appeared a layer of his cornea was gone and there were ulcers on it. He was sent home with three different medicated drops and pain meds. Over the course of the week had to see two specialists, and basically stay in bed with his eyes closed other than me driving him to the dr due to the pain of opening his eyes. He still can’t put contacts back in. Not one of the specialists mentioned a recall, his contacts are made by coopervision but are not the toric lenses.

From Dani (again) on October 11, 2011: I just checked and we purchased the contacts for my husband in August, he has had problems with his eye since then. I can’t believe not one doctor mentioned this recall, I am going to call all three of them tomorrow. I did call coopervision today and they acted like it was no big deal and people were just experiencing minor discomfort…..that was not thte case at all for my husband, he didn’t even care if the numbing drops caused blindness he just wanted the pain to stop. Is there any recourse, will a lawyer even handle a case like this, they are located in NY and we live in CA. My husband has had to miss work, and money is tight for us, we pay cash for our medical bills and we can barely afford food/gas with four kids right now, him not being able to see isn’t helping things for us?????

From Shannon on October 11, 2011: I wore Ultra Flex 55 contacts and I developed a serious corneal ulcer in my right eye. Now I have permanent deep scaring and I may need a corneal transplant. It has been a nightmare.

From Brett on October 11, 2011: Like you, Christina, I also wear ULTRA FLEX toric lenses, which I purchased from a Costco in Fountain Valley, CA. I suspected it was just my eyes were getting tired and enflamed from wearing my contacts for too long, but now that I’ve read the many posts regarding Cooper Vision’s toric lenses in general, I feel it necessary to report the problems of eye irritation I’ve been experiencing to Cooper Vision.

From Debbie on October 11, 2011: I keep watching & waiting for Coopervision to expand the recall here in the US. I wear Coopervision Proclear contacts and have been out of my contacts for 2 1/2 weeks. My doctor describes the damage as “pits” in my eyes and says it is from dry eyes. But I find it curious that my problems only started after purchasing 2 new boxes in August. (from my doctor’s office) I have never had dry eyes before. My contacts were made in the UK, but the lot numbers on the box were not listed on their website. When will we find out what the residue is and how much damage it will/can cause?

From Whitney on October 12, 2011: Pflugerville, TX, I ordered my Avaira Toric lenses from Lensking.com on August 8th. After I received them, I put one set on right way. About 30 minute later, my vision began to see cloudy white. I thought I had eyes problem so I removed them and threw them away. A month later, on September 28th, I put on a new set. They were OK at first. About an hour later, my vision was cloudy again. My eyes were a little irritated but I could handle OK. My right eye was irritated more than my left eye. I was at work and I didn’t have my glasses with me. I had them on the whole day. When I got home, I removed them off. My right eye was so painful. A couple hours later, it was swollen and I couldn’t open my eyes. My brother took me to the doctor and the doctor said he didn’t know what causes it. He prescribed me pain antibiotic medication. The second day I went to see him again. This time he said ” NO wonder I was so painful because my cornea torn and rolled back.” At this point, he still didn’t know what cause it. By Monday, the following week, I checked online to see if I can change to my old brand of lenses. Then I discovered Avaira Toric is recalled since August 19th (about a week after i received my order) but no one informed me. Sure enough, when I entered the lot numbers on Coopervision recall website, all my 3 boxes right eye lenses, are the recalled lenses.

From Carol on October 12, 2011: I have had problems from day one.  Blurry vision, felt like something in my eye.  Called doctor’s office and thought they gave me the wrong prescription and they replaced contacts.  Still had problems with vision, now can’t hardly see, constantly feels like a film cover over my eye and at work my eyes all the sudden go blurry, like I am under water.  I just called my doctor after reading the recall and they said…Did no one call you about this?  I said NO.  I am furious about this.  The cost, the damage, and feel the company should reimburse me for all the money I spent on contacts in the past year.

From Mellisa on October 12, 2011: As if this could not get any worse!!! I was one of the first posts regarding a severe corneal abrasion that I went to the ER for on September 4th. I was wearing the Avaira lenses. Last evening my husband came home and said he must have pink eye. He’d taken out his lenses earlier because his vision was hazy. His eye were both totally red and hurt–he said he felt like he had sand in both eyes. I said it didn’t look like pink eye but he was hurting and went to bed. This morning the eyes were bad so he went to the doctor. She told him both eyes were very swollen and irritated and prescribed steroid drops. I was unaware until this afternoon that he had been wearing a new pair of lenses for the last week. They are COOPERVISION PROCLEAR MULTIFOCAL. I understand these are not recalled yet. Please, can you get the word out?

From Laura on October 12, 2011: I had two reactions to these contacts. The first time I was told I had two abrasions to my cornea but they did not know what caused it because I had been there the day before. The next time I had opened up my new box of contacts and put them in on Saturday and my eye started hurting so I tool them out. By mid day Sunday my eye was hurting and tearing so badly that I could not see. I went to my GP on monday and she gave me antibiotics but I was unable to work for two days, not to mention being in horrible pain for the better part of three days. My husband called Coopervision and they told him about the recall, not my eye doctor. When I told them what happened they had me come in and told me that there was no way my contacts caused this problem and they were not under any obligation to let me know about the recall. Coopervision has been very helpful and have offered to review any medical expenses I had for reimbursement. My eye care provider, on the other hand, has been less then helpful and even started blaming for not taking of my contacts well.

From Monica on October 12, 2011: I just started to use the Frequency 55 toric lenses and have been experiencing pain and redness in both of my eyes, I decided to stopped wearing them just this morning because my left eye hurt so bad as soon as I put it on, coincidentally my husband heard about the recall for the Avaira lenses. I called the company and they said that they have not had any report on the Frequency 55 Toric lenses. they suggested I call the place where I bought them.

From an Anonymous reader on October 12, 2011: I would like to respond to Melissa Cotton’s experience/post. I have been having trouble with the ProClear MultiFocal lenses since January 2011. Unfortunately, no one will listen to me. I returned two separate orders of the ProClears to my eye doctor and they basically wrote me off as a complainer. I found a new eye doctor and he was at least willing to listen. I took my entire collection of ProClear lenses into his office and he asked me to put in a fresh pair so he could check my vision. The first lens we opened was only half there! It had been ripped in half and packaged that way. I believe there are some very serious manufacturing and quality control issues at CooperVision and they appear to be hiding from them rather than facing them and resolving them. They are ruining their reputation. One interesting aspect I found was that when working with my initial eye doctor, she would order me a set of trial contacts to wear. They were perfect. Then she would order the full package of contacts and the problems would recur. I wonder if the manufacturer and/or location for the trial contacts is different than for the boxed/packaged contacts. The vision problems I experienced were blurry vision, scratchy, dry, uncomfortable contacts, headaches and general eye discomfort. I am grateful that I did not have to go through a corneal abrasion to figure out that I am done with CooperVision contacts. It would really be helpful, and the responsible thing to do, for CooperVision to release information regarding the residue that is causing the problems, if they even know.

From Diane on October 12, 2011: I have worn CooperVision Clear Soft lenses for a while with no problem, –but over the summer, I began experiencing pain , redness, itching, and a strange gummy discharge in both eyes from time to time—-and had NO IDEA about the recall until tonight. Some of the lenses were fine, and others, I had to throw out.–I attributed it all to allergies, and just kept using Visine for relief. Tonight, the situation became suddenly severe, and I went on line to see if there was anything written about this–and I am shocked and furious at the negligence of Cooper, the FDA, and my practioner– Cohen’s Fashion Optical in NYC for their silence. Just now, I entered my lot # on the Cooper website–and the response was that my lenses were not affected(??!!)

From Diane (again) on October 14, 2011: My CooperVision ClearSoft lenses purchased July 2011 caused the very same symptoms reported by Toric lens wearers–ie: burning, redness, gummy white discarge, pain,and blurry vision.—I attributed it to allergies, and used Visine for relief, continuing to wear the lenses.—I had no idea about the CooperVision recall until 2 nights ago, when my eyes were in such pain, that I went online to search for alternative brands.—There, I discovered all the recall info .–Alarmed, I entered my lot # ar the CooperVision website, which answered that my lenses were not affected(?!)—Yesterday I called Cooper Vision to report my situation, and was told” while my lenses were not involved, I should return them to my eye-care provider, they would replace them free of charge.” I indeed went to my care provider–Cohen’s Fashion Optical–was diagnosed with red-eye , and given a prescription for antibiotic/steroid drops . Needless to say, I certainly suspect that my lenses were the cause;–I have worn this brand for many years with no problem– until July !

From Ed on October 15, 2011: I had problems with Frequency 55 too. They were good for two weeks then it would get cloudy and move around. I’ve had discharge even after removing them. I assumed it was pollen in the air. Every contact would go bad after 2 or 3 weeks. I would use rewetting drops constantly.

From Ed (again) on October 15, 2011: It’s not just the Avaira’s. My Frequency 55’s were bothering me all summer. I thought it was pollen or reformulated saline solution. The Coopervision website ask for a 14 digit Lot # but my box only has 12 digits, so i get no information. If you use any Coopervision’s other than Avaira and experience unusual discomfort, take the time to complain to the FDA form 3500. I’ve heard some people are going to the hospital, corneas are damaged…

From Holly (again) on October 15, 2011: I have also had symptoms from the CooperVision Frequency 55 Toric lenses. Like some others on here, I thought allergies may be the cause of the itching and redness from my first pair in this box of contacts. Last Saturday I opened a new pair and within 20-30 minutes of wearing them started to experience fogging of the lenses. It was a cold, foggy morning and I tried rewetting drops to see if it would clear. The fogging – a bit like the way your car windshield fogs up, got progressively worse until I could barely see out of my left lens. I went home to remove the lenses, since I did not have glasses with me. It took several hours for my vision to return to normal even after removing the lenses. I am going in to my eye care provider this morning to return the rest of the box!

From Merridy, via email, on October 15, 2011: Since all the lens types are probably manufactured at the same facility, by the same machines, you may have a problem and not know it until you use it. I was astonished that there was so much damage from the lenses as reported by people with pain, tearing, corneal damage, etc. My problem was not so severe, but I literally couldn’t see out of my right eye. I don’t remember having pain with it. I took the contact out twice to clean it, but the damage had been done to make the cornea ‘hazy’. I gave my eye another day-off, then rewashed and used the lens. It seemed okay, although that may explain why I have such poor vision in the right eye even with lens in. Sigh.

From Kim on October 18, 2011: I knew nothing about the recall and I wore my contacts for ONE day and took them out before bed. I woke up at 3 in the morning with unbearable eye pain and had my husband take me to the ER the next day because I could not take the pain anymore. I ended up having to go to another eye dr the next day and several times after that because of a scratched cornea and swollen, red eye. I bought the Coopervision PROCLEAR EP lenses which I had never used before. It was a new lens the dr had me try. I have been wearing lenses for 20 years and never had this problem before. AFTER this happened I just began looking on the internet and discovered the recall. It makes me sick that they knew about this and did not inform anyone. They told me a may now never be able to wear contacts again!

From Breanna on October 22, 2011: I too have been effected. Mine were purchased in australia on june/july. I went on my ‘trip of a lifetime’ 6 week holiday to usa. I arrived blind into lax after using these lenses the day before. Blind in a foreign country! 2 weeks later not knowing I put in my fresh set. Blind again!!! Next set I soaked and cleaned overnight with my own solution no issues. 2 weeks later again fay after insertion same thing. Diagnosed by doctor with corneal ulcer. Lost 5 days of my holiday. Lost 2 days work. Ho into eye docs informed there was a recall but not on my batch?!? I have SUFFERED AND LOST$ $$ AND LOST PART OF A HOLIDAY I’ve SAVED A LIFETIME FOR. I WANT COMPENSATION.

From Larry on October 22, 2011: I have the same issue but mine was easier to determine. Wearing frequency 55 toric for 2 years and just had 2 new boxes drop shipped from discount contact lenses.com. Done I had an uneven number and I had just changed my right lens I only changed the left. Within 5 minutes my left eye began to look like it was cloudy. I took the lens out and cleaned it and put it back in. I hoped it would resolve itself, and it bothered me all day. I took the lens out and my vision was still cloudy, but resolved itself by the morning. I put the same lens back in the next morning and boom same cloudy vision. Took that lens out and cleaned it and waited for symptoms to resolve. Then I put in the next lens from the pack and boom, cloudy vision. Cleaned it very well and put the lens back in and it began to be unbearable a few hours later. Since removed the lenses and the symptoms resolved themselves. Only found out about the recall (which was not for this specific lens) but refined my search and found this site. I am very upset.

From Christina on October 28, 2011: Got my recall notice in the mail today 10/28/2011 saying that coopervision has a recall on avair toric soft contact lense typed in my lot number and they are recalled. Took my contacts back to walmart when i got them. The ladies had NO idea here was a recall that I was the first person to come in. They had to call their main office i guess getting ready to get a new brand and they said i have to go to my eye doctor to get a brand and bring that back to order. I have had so many problems with my left eye since i have been wearing these. Left eye gets all red, swollen, and waters so much i cant handle it. Never had been to the Er for it. Now this week my left has been red all week and hurts. The person at walmart said to flush it out well duh i have been all week like 6 times a day and still does no good at all. Went to eye doctor and cant get into monday so im stuck all weekend not being able to drive bc i cant wear the contacts. Im hoping there is going to be a lawsuit bc i will join in it.

From Christina (again) on October 28, 2011: Forgot to [add] about the cloudiness that i had when i 1st put them in. Lasted about 1 hour after i put them in took them out still lasted for an hour, threw them away tried another pair same thing, called the eye doctor and he told me everything was fine just to keep wearing them. Well everytime I have to put new contacts in its the same thing. So im hoping to get different contacts that doesnt do this.

From Tracey on October 30, 2011: I purchased a year supply of avaira toric lenses in august 2011 I had problems since day one with them When I first put them on they are ok for a short time; then they become blurry and they make my eye hurt i have to take them out and i cant try to wear them for at least 3 days it causes me to have mucus build up in my eyes i complained to my eye doctor and she prescribed proclear toric but they did the same thing to me My eye doctor has written me off as a complainner She actually acted annoyed with me because I said neither lens works for me I went thru a year supply in two months I called my eye doctor to let her know about recall and was told they we’re recalled due to not being able to keep up with the demand (orders) I said if that was the case they would be back orders not RECALLED They dont recall contacts because they cant keep up with demand. She said she has not recedived any information about the recall I emailed consumer care at cooper vision no reply I called the number supplied by cooper vision to call with concerns about the recall. I was told can not help me without the lot numbers. I dont have the lot numbers. They took my name and number and said they will have someone call me back. Still waiting for their call.

From Stephen on November 1, 2011: I have had lens fogging issues with Coopervision Torics for the last 5 or 6 years. However, the actual lens develops a foggy defect, always in the field of vision, of course, that ruins the lens. Though this usually occurs after a couple of months, it has happened in as little as 3 days of wearing them. I wear it 24/6. I take it out, soak it for deposits and disinfect. I have reported this to my Optician/Optometrist who has, in turn, reposrted it to Coopervision. Coopervisions response is I am the only person on the planet reporting the issue. Last year they replaced the lot of four I had previously purchased and which ,all four, had lasted only 2 months; not 2 months each. Questions posed to my optometrist about using a different supplier/mfgr have been unheeded.

From Drock on November 2, 2011: I found this post when researching the recall of Coopervision’s contacts- mine are the Frequency 55 toric. Last evening I was able to get in to see my eye doctor after experiencing haziness, swelling, itchiness, redness and pain in both eyes after inserting a new pair of lens that I recently purchased from 1-800-contacts. The haziness began a half-hour after inserting them, which has happened every time I put them in but then clears up eventually. After taking the contacts out because the haziness got worse instead of better, that’s when my eyes became very swollen, very painful and irritated and STILL hazy! My doctor of course told me my eyes were very irritated and my corneas were enlarged. Also, I should note that when I opened ONE new contact container (I have the same prescription for both eyes) there were TWO contacts inside! I used the two instead of throwing out the one… It seems there should be a recall on these too, no? I have been using them for a year an d have loved how comfortable they are as my eyes are very sensitive. I will not be using them and will contact 1-800-contacts to inform them of the problem I have. Today, the haze is gone, but my eyes still ache and are still very swollen.

From KA on November 4, 2011: I just discovered that I have a cornea abrasion and I believe it was caused by my contacts- Coopervision Frequency 55 Toric. I put a new pair in and instantly my right eye was blurry. It got progressively worse during the day and when I took it out to rinse and put it back in the pain was unbearable. After a few hours I couldn’t even open my eye. I was diagnosed with a cornea abrasion. I believe this issue only occured in my right eye becasue the left eye has a different contact lens type and is not the Coopervision Frequency 55 Toric.

From Angela on November 15, 2011: I have worn proclear lenses for years now and not had a problem until this year… I cannot see out of my left lenses, everything is blurry. I had an old pair of same perscription lenses and tried those and I have perfect vision with them. Went back to my eye doctor, they said no one has had problems with theirs but that they would replace mine, the replacements came and I am having the same issues with those….I called coopervision and they said there has been no other complaints and I should take them back to my eye care provider, I’m really upset that nobody is fixing this problem! I love my contacts and just want to see clearly out of them with no hassels! That’s what I pay for right? My son just got pro clear torics and now I’m worried about his eye saftey as well. My lenses were purchased in march 2011 and have a 10 digit lot number.

From Janet on November 15, 2011: I’ve been having problems with my eyes since late August and thought it was allergies. Swelling, redness, twitching, tingling, burning, crusty eyes. Went to the doctor and got steroids, changed contact solutions and it got a little better. But now it’s back again. I wear Frequency 55 (not toric) and have been miserable for months. I suspect that this recall will expand. It should! I’m positive that my eye problems are from these lenses.

From Felicia on November 30, 2011:  I have also experienced some of the same symptoms that all of you have mentioned…swollen eye lids, sensitive vision to light, burning extreme redness, pain like you wouldn’t believe. I needed my contacts to see so I tried to keep waering them and endure the pain, but it got to the point where I just couldn’t wear them anymore. I informed the Dcoctor at America Best the first time about my symptoms with my eyes, she prescibed medicated drops and recommended that I dsicontinue wearing my lense for 2 weeks. Then after a 2 week follow up she told me not to wear them again until after another 2 weeks, because of the white spots in my eyes. She never mentioned that the cause of the irritation was due to the lenses. I never went to the ER I just used the drops til my eyes weren’t sore anymore. The second time I started feeling the symptoms occurring around May or June some time, I immediately stopped weraring the lenses due to the fear of what happened the first time. I still have the white dots on my cornea, and I’m not even sure what it is. Since I’ve recieved the recall letter Im definitely going to an ophtomolgist to find out what these dots are. I’m so scared of what they may say. Unfortunately I no longer have the LOT numbers from the old packages, I never thought I would need them. I tried calling Coopervision as well as Americas Best to retrieve the LOT numbers from old purchases however neither of them could provide this information.

From Tania on November 30, 2011: I have the proclear contacts too and had the same problem as Kim. My cornea was scratched, had to spend a fortune at the eye doctor and on medicine for my eyes and glasses and can’t wear contacts again for awhile. I thought it was allergies or overtiredness, but come to find out it is the contact.

From Kristina on December 3, 2011: I am having the exact same problem with my FREQUENCY 55 TORIC. I went to the eye Dr a month ago and $300 later I had 2 torn corneas. A month later I am having the exact same issue. I can’t get into the Dr until Monday so I am stuck with this excruciating pain more than likely a huge doctor bill as well. Something needs to be done!!!!!

From Tawnia on December 5, 2011: My contacts came from Laurier Optical in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada. They caused severe itch, pain, and redness. Went to my doctor, who diagnosed me with having conjunctivitis ( pink eye!!), prescribed anti-biotic which seemed to work, although by that time i was solely wearing my glasses. I was also taking allergy medication as we had just adopted a cat and with her being long-haired i just assumed i had new found allergies…just glad we didn’t give her up, we talked about it :(. Interesting thing is, these posts seem to go back to early september, my store didn’t call me until today: December 5th!!!!!! Hows that for taking care of your patient.

From J. Thoney on December 7, 2011: Mine are doing the same thing. I thought it was just me. My left eye was also injured by a batch of the defective ones back in July. Sadly it happened twice because the first time I was incorrectly diagnosed with viral pink eye. A week later I put in another one. Both times ended up in the ER. Am working on trying to get reimbursed for my medical bills but have had no luck yet. I wonder if anyone has gotten money out of them? I’m now wearing my “replacement” ones that are supposed to be just fine. The batch for my right eye were not part of the recall but I now have this fogging thing in both eyes. Was going to ask my eye doctor but haven’t yet….after reading your post, I think I’m going to cut my losses, throw away the four boxes I have left of this brand and have my eye doctor start over with another kind. It’s not worth some kind of life-long eye injury over a year’s supply of contacts. Soooo disappointing!!

From Tiffaney on December 7, 2011: I wear Sofmed Breathables and my doctor has been trying to find out why i have been having terrible headaches. This isnt mentioned in the other posts but i have boxes that have the recalled lot number but this is odd thst i just started getting ill.

From Jessica on December 14, 2011: Im from goodyear Az and had the exact same thing.I experience severe eye pain on both my eyes.The pain was so intence I couldnt have my eyes open or close.My husband took me to the eye doctor,he gave me some drops called tobradex that did not work.He had to take me to the ER where they didnt do much either.I got home and had to put bags of ice on both my eyes and that seem to help a little.Im still having burning and redness on my eyes i cannot wear contacts at all.I was using the sofmed breathables lot #491303000528 and yes this are in recall and nobody notified me about this.I’m also hoping there is a lawsuit agaist them and i will also join.Thank you….

Fron JEnN on December 28, 2011: I am located at Singapore. Recently I had brought a contact lens brand Cooper Vision Mediflex 55. I had been using other brands contact lens for a long time without any problem. The first day I wear the Cooper Vision Mediflex 55 contact, my eyes start to be uncomfortable feel itchy and pain. not long my eyes turn to red and very red. I try an new pair of contact lens and stil get the same effect. please advise what I can do for it ??

From Paulette on January 2, 2012: My two older children had not only horrendous and extreme eye painful eyes but hemorrhaging as well, to the point that they could not go to school or work, and when i asked for Coopervision to pay for the replacing of the contacts in addition to eye glasses so that they could heal, and be able to finish finals and work, i was told that only the contact would be taken care of and was only the last box???