Pets and pet owners who come into contact with Bausch & Lomb’s “Project Watson” dog eye wipes could be at risk for infection if the products come from certain lots.

The wipes are used to clean a dog’s eyelids, but two specific lots (numbers A09050 and A10055, printed on the container’s bottom) could become easily contaminated, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) noted in an alert published May 2.

The lots were sold online at Chewy.com and Amazon.com, and at Walmart, PetSmart and other stores between February 2023 and March 2024.

“The company has received seven reports of a substance developing in the container after the product had been opened and in use,” the agency said, although so far, “no illness of consumers or pets has been reported.”

The warning is aimed at consumers with weakened immune systems, the CPSC said.

“When the recalled dog eyelid wipes are opened and in use, bacteria and fungi, which are organisms found widely in the environment, soil, and water, can be introduced and grow in the container, posing a risk of serious infection to people with weakened immune systems,” the agency explained. “Individuals with wounds may also be at higher risk of infection. People with healthy immune systems are not typically affected.”

If you happen to have the recalled “Project Watson” wipes on hand, discard them in the trash, the CPSC said.

You can request a full refund by submitting a picture of the product via an online form at http://eyelidwiperecall.com/, the agency added.

SOURCE: Consumer Product Safety Commission, alert, May 2, 2024

Source: HealthDay