how to rule the universe in 21 days

Bausch & Lomb Double Standards

As I was reading the papers today, I came across some news about Bausch & Lomb, a leading contact lens solution manufacturer, issuing a product recall in the US for its ReNu with MoistureLoc solution.

The product had been linked to a number of cases of a rare fungal infection. Without eye-drop treatment, which can last two to three months, the infection can scar the cornea and blind its victims. Symptoms can include blurry vision, pain or redness, excessive discharge and increased sensitivity to light.

Not only are the products being pulled from all retail shelves, but a comprehensive ad campaign will take place to advise consumers to stop using the products, and a refund system will be in place for people who have purchased the product.

Sample news stories can be seen here:

Bloomberg.com: U.S.

CNN.com - Maker says not to use contact lens solution - Apr 14, 2006

Reuters Business Channel Reuters.com

Now thats all fair enough, except that the same South Carolina plant that serves the US also supplies three Asian countries, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. And the first incidences of infections occurred in these three countries, dating back to early 2005.

However, unlike in the US, the company did not rush to address the problem, nor has it taken any such steps to date, according to the meagre information I was able to obtain from thestar.com.my. The most recent local article I could find on the subject was on the 18th March where it was reported that:

'Bausch & Lomb has said it will not withdraw its ReNu multi-purpose contact lens care solution from the market as it has not received any official statement from the Government.

Its public relations officer said: “We have confidence in our products. There is no evidence to show that ReNu is the cause of fungal keratitis infections.”'

Since then I understand that they have stopped shipping products from the US to Asia, but they havent initiated any recall (the government has banned the product themselves though) nor have they tried to inform the general public about the possible dangers.

Why the double standards? Probably a big reason would be the class action law suit filed against them in a country where suing people is a grand old tradition. But is there anything more than that? Multinationals have a history of providing substandard service when it comes to less developed countries, and more often than not, the reason is simply because they can get away with it. Of course, we're guilty of the same thing in reverse, manufacturing our cars to a much higher standard for export than for domestic use. So there! That's sticking it to them.

Anyway, if you want to get your money back, the good news is you don't even need to prove you bought a bottle. Just go here, fill in the form and they'll send you a voucher for a new bottle (from a differnt line).

The bad news is you can only get this if you are in the US, and even then theres only one per household allowed which means that you might as well use your ten box collection to clean your car.

This whole recall exercise smacks of lip service, whatever the CEO says. I suggest everyone just dont do anything to spoil your eyesight, then corporations wont be able to exploit us anymore.

p.s. as I'm not in Asia at the moment, I may be missing something so let me know if I am

p.p.s. I have perfect vision, so this doesnt really affect me. I'm just bored from doing work. Really bored.

posted by justsomeguy @ 3:26 PM