International eye-care company AMO is recalling more than 140,000 bottles of its contact lens solution in Hong Kong after its plant in Hangzhou was found to be manufacturing unsterile products. As part of a worldwide operation, Advanced Medical Optics has recalled 2.9 million units of saline and multi-purpose solutions and ordered the destruction of five million units that were yet to go on sale. 'We traced the problem to production on two lines at our China facility between mid-June and the end of October,' Randy Meier, AMO executive vice-president told financial analysts yesterday. The recalled products include specific lots of Complete MoisturePlus starter kits, 60ml sample packs of Complete ProTec Formula Multi-purpose Solution and 360ml Lens Plus Ocupure Saline. About 140,000 of the recalled products had been sold or were on sale in Hong Kong. AMO's plant in Hangzhou, Zhejiang , will be closed for 10 to 12 weeks while it is sanitised. After a complaint from a retailer in mid-September, AMO tested batches of the product sold in Japan and discovered that certain production lots were not sterile due to a manufacturing problem at its Chinese plant. 'A water-borne organism found its way into two of the four production lines,' a spokesman said. The Department of Health said it was monitoring the situation. Users of the affected products should discontinue use and phone 2401 5811/2 or e-mail contact_hk@amo-inc.com for instructions. They can also return the products to stores for a refund.
