A deadly drug-resistant bacteria is linked to recalled eye drops. Here is what to know.

Three people died and four had an eyeball surgically removed because of an outbreak of a rare bacteria linked to imported eye drops, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.

The culprit behind the outbreak is a rare, extensively drug-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Patients were reported in 16 states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The Inquirer spoke to two Philadelphia ophthalmologists about the outbreak.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a type of bacteria that ophthalmologists encounter when treating infections of the cornea, the clear layer that covers the eye, said Beeran Meghpara, a cornea specialist at Wills Eye Hospital. These infections typically arise when people sleep with their contact lenses or don’t use the proper cleaning solutions. They are fairly common and treatable.

The current outbreak is related to a particularly problematic strain of the bacteria.

“It can spread very quickly and the antibiotics that we normally use to treat these infections, they’re not working as well or maybe not working at all,” Meghpara said.

Still, the ophthalmologist noted, the cases are rare and most eye infections are resolved without lasting damage.

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The CDC reported that 68 people in 16 states — including Pennsylvania and New Jersey — have been infected with the rare strain of Pseudomonas, as of March 14. Of those, 37 people were part of clusters of cases in four health-care facilities. The CDC’s investigation into the eye drops has been ongoing since late January.

Three people have died, eight lost their vision, and four had an eyeball removed surgically.

The CDC did not include information about where in the states the cases occurred or their outcomes. There have been no cases at Wills Eye, according to Julia Haller, the hospital’s ophthalmologist-in-chief.

The FDA warned consumers not to buy or use EzriCare Artificial Tears, Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears, and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Eye Ointment because of concerns of the possible contamination by the dangerous bacteria. Global Pharma, an India-based importer, agreed to voluntarily recall these over-the-counter products.

“Actually, I’ve never heard of these kind of eyedrops,” Haller said.

The CDC noted that patients reported having used over 10 different brands of eye drops, and some used multiple products. No other brands have been named.

Separately, the FDA announced earlier this month that Phoenix-based pharmaceutical company Pharmedica USA LLC has voluntarily agreed to recall two lots of Purely Soothing drops due to an issue unrelated to Pseudomonas. The drops were nonsterile but the company did not receive reports of any illness related to the product.

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The symptoms of eye infection according to the CDC are:

“If there’s a change in vision, that’s definitely a warning sign that the person should be seen by an eye doctor,” Meghpara said.