Contact Lenses

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Intellectually, Ryan Kalish understands the position he is in. He had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in November and that takes at least six months to heal. It's the emotional aspects of the situation that the 23-year-old outfielder is having trouble with. "People tried to explain it to me, but I never realized how difficult this was going to be," Kalish said Saturday. "It's rough. This whole process has honestly been the biggest challenge of my life so far. It has been tough.

Another injury to an All-Star infielder left Phillies manager Charlie Manuel feeling a bit edgy. Hector Luna's RBI single in the 10th inning lifted the Phillies over a Blue Jays split squad, 4-3, in Clearwater, Fla., Saturday. The game was irrelevant, though. The concern for Manuel was third baseman Placido Polanco, who left the game after injuring his left ring finger diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt. There was no immediate word on the results of Polanco's X-ray.

ATLANTA -- The company involved in a voluntary recall of a contact lens solution said yesterday it stands by its product and blamed improper handling of contact lenses for the eye infections that forced the product to be pulled from the shelves. "What we're trying to handle right now . . . is what the CDC hit us with," said James Mazzo, president and chief executive officer of Santa Ana, Calif.-based Advanced Medical Optics Inc. Government officials Friday warned people to throw away AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution, using for cleaning and storing soft contact...

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Intellectually, Ryan Kalish understands the position he is in. He had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in November and that takes at least six months to heal. It's the emotional aspects of the situation that the 23-year-old outfielder is having trouble with. "People tried to explain it to me, but I never realized how difficult this was going to be," Kalish said Saturday. "It's rough. This whole process has honestly been the biggest challenge of my life so far. It has been tough.

Cooper Cos., which makes contact lenses, reported first-quarter earnings of $54.6 million, or $1.12 per share, up from $39.2 million, or 83 cents, a year ago. Analysts expected $1.04 per share. The California company also boosted its earnings guidance for 2012, from $4.80 to $5 per share, to as much as $5.15.

WASHINGTON - One of the largest eye care companies, CooperVision, is stepping up efforts to publicize its recall of 600,000 contact lenses after coming under pressure from federal regulators. CooperVision issued its second announcement in two months about the recall of Avaira Toric lenses linked to pain, red eye, and blurred vision. The company had focused its efforts on eye care professionals, but the Food and Drug Administration said a larger effort was needed to alert consumers.

CHICAGO — More than 70,000 children and teens go to the emergency room each year for injuries and complications from medical devices, and contact lenses are the leading culprit, the first detailed national estimate suggests. About one-fourth of the problems were things like infections and eye abrasions in contact lens wearers. These are sometimes preventable and can result from wearing contact lenses too long without cleaning them. Other common problems found by researchers at the US Food and Drug Administration include puncture wounds from hypodermic needles...

Another injury to an All-Star infielder left Phillies manager Charlie Manuel feeling a bit edgy. Hector Luna's RBI single in the 10th inning lifted the Phillies over a Blue Jays split squad, 4-3, in Clearwater, Fla., Saturday. The game was irrelevant, though. The concern for Manuel was third baseman Placido Polanco, who left the game after injuring his left ring finger diving back into first base on a pickoff attempt. There was no immediate word on the results of Polanco's X-ray.

Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday announced another Tylenol recall due to a musty moldy odor linked to a trace chemical. The company’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit is recalling one product lot of Tylenol Extra Strength Caplets made in February 2009 and distributed in the U.S. The recall totals 60,912 bottles, each of which has 225 caplets. McNeil said it has received a small number of reports about the pills’ odor, which has been linked in past J&J recalls to the presence of trace amounts of “2,4,6-tribromoanisole.’’ TBA is a byproduct of a chemical preservative sometimes used...

The popcorn is greasy, and I forgot to bring a Kleenex. A pill that's a bomb inside the stomach of a man inside The Embassy blows up. Eructations of flame, luxurious cauliflowers giganticize into motion. The entire 29-ft. screen is orange, is crackling flesh and brick bursting, blackening, smithereened. I unwrap a Dentyne and, while jouncing my teeth in rubber tongue-smarting clove, try with the 2-inch-wide paper to blot butter off my fingers.

Cooper Cos., which makes contact lenses, reported first-quarter earnings of $54.6 million, or $1.12 per share, up from $39.2 million, or 83 cents, a year ago. Analysts expected $1.04 per share. The California company also boosted its earnings guidance for 2012, from $4.80 to $5 per share, to as much as $5.15.

The bizarre murder case against a man who assumed multiple identities including that of a Rockefeller is headed for trial and a lawyer for the defendant said he welcomes the chance to go before a jury. "He views this as a beginning, not an end," said attorney Jeffrey Denner after a judge ordered Christian Gerhartsreiter to be tried on a charge of murdering the son of his landlady a quarter century ago. Gerhartsreiter, a German immigrant who at times called himself Clark Rockefeller, Chris Chichester and Christopher Crowe, has pleaded innocent in the killing of John Sohus, a crime...

The popcorn is greasy, and I forgot to bring a Kleenex. A pill that's a bomb inside the stomach of a man inside The Embassy blows up. Eructations of flame, luxurious cauliflowers giganticize into motion. The entire 29-ft. screen is orange, is crackling flesh and brick bursting, blackening, smithereened. I unwrap a Dentyne and, while jouncing my teeth in rubber tongue-smarting clove, try with the 2-inch-wide paper to blot butter off my fingers.

WASHINGTON - One of the largest eye care companies, CooperVision, is stepping up efforts to publicize its recall of 600,000 contact lenses after coming under pressure from federal regulators. CooperVision issued its second announcement in two months about the recall of Avaira Toric lenses linked to pain, red eye, and blurred vision. The company had focused its efforts on eye care professionals, but the Food and Drug Administration said a larger effort was needed to alert consumers.

Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday announced another Tylenol recall due to a musty moldy odor linked to a trace chemical. The company’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit is recalling one product lot of Tylenol Extra Strength Caplets made in February 2009 and distributed in the U.S. The recall totals 60,912 bottles, each of which has 225 caplets. McNeil said it has received a small number of reports about the pills’ odor, which has been linked in past J&J recalls to the presence of trace amounts of “2,4,6-tribromoanisole.’’ TBA is a byproduct of a chemical...

TRENTON, N.J. — With Johnson & Johnson’s once-golden reputation tarnished by 11 recalls of medicines, contact lenses, and hip implants in as many months, its chief executive says he knows the company let consumers down. J&J plans a public campaign to help rebuild their trust, but not until after about 40 recalled nonprescription medicines are back on store shelves sometime early next year. In the meantime, the company is also doing everything possible “to make sure this never happens again,’’ chief executive Bill Weldon said yesterday.

TRENTON, N.J. — With Johnson & Johnson’s once-golden reputation tarnished by 11 recalls of medicines, contact lenses, and hip implants in as many months, its chief executive says he knows the company let consumers down. J&J plans a public campaign to help rebuild their trust, but not until after about 40 recalled nonprescription medicines are back on store shelves sometime early next year. In the meantime, the company is also doing everything possible “to make sure this never happens again,’’ chief executive Bill Weldon said yesterday.

CHICAGO — More than 70,000 children and teens go to the emergency room each year for injuries and complications from medical devices, and contact lenses are the leading culprit, the first detailed national estimate suggests. About one-fourth of the problems were things like infections and eye abrasions in contact lens wearers. These are sometimes preventable and can result from wearing contact lenses too long without cleaning them. Other common problems found by researchers at the US Food and Drug Administration include puncture wounds from hypodermic needles breaking off in the skin...