CooperVision, a manufacturer of soft contact lenses, has announced on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 that they are expanding their worldwide recall of Avaira^® Toric contact lenses to include a limited number of lots of their extended line, Avaira Sphere contact lenses. This recall was issued due to the presence of silicone oil residue being found on the contact lenses resulting in the product not meeting quality requirements as set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company initially reported that 600,000 contact lenses were affected but now reports say that this number has increased to 5,000,000 contact lenses.

Due to the presence of silicone oil having existence on the contact lenses, those who have worn the contacts may experience symptoms such as hazy vision, discomfort, severe eye pain, and eye injuries as a result.

CooperVision claims on its website that they are taking necessary and corrective actions to fix the problem. Some of their attempts include issuing this voluntary recall and contacting all of their retailers in an attempt to have the entire product removed from distribution. They have also launched an international website which allows customers all over the world to log on and register the lot number on the back of the product to see if their lenses have been affected by the contact lens recall. CooperVision suggests that only those who experience symptoms should register their product, the FDA suggests that all customers register their product in case their lenses were included in the recall.

The Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance at CooperVision stated on their website that “The health and safety of our customers is our top priority.” Though the company claims that health and safety are a top priority, many victims may now be injured as a result of wearing the contact lenses that were affected by the silicone oil residue.

Anyone who currently wears Avaira Toric or Avaira Sphere contact lenses is being advised by the FDA and CooperVision to stop use immediately and return the product to an eye practitioner or to the retailer in which the purchase was made.