After several major recalls of eye drops and scathing inspection reports, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued new guidance this week on the use of homeopathic eye drops. The agency warned that all drops labeled homeopathic should not be sold.
[Related: So, what’s the deal with homeopathy?]
Homeopathy can trace its root back to the Ancient Greeks, but was popularized by physician Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann during the late 18th Century. Many of its methods are no better than a placebo. Homeopathy relies on two false principles. The false “law of similars” believes that something that causes a specific symptom in a healthy individual can also treat conditions and diseases with the same set of characteristics. The “law of infinitesimals” says that diluting a substance will make it more potent. Homeopathic products could take toxic substances and almost completely dilute them into more of an essence of the substance. There is no evidence to support the use of homeopathy. It can be very dangerous, as it keeps patients from seeking real medicine.
In November, Amazon stopped selling seven brands of eyedrops. The FDA sent a warning letter to Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy to stop selling “unapproved new drugs” at the major e-retailer. The products in question claimed to help pink eye, dry eyes, and eyestrain and the FDA says that these products violate federal regulations.
“These products are especially concerning from a public health perspective,” the FDA wrote in the letter. “Ophthalmic drug products, which are intended for administration into the eyes, in general pose a greater risk of harm to users because the route of administration for these products bypasses some of the body’s natural defenses.”
Eyes are at a greater risk of harm since they are one of the body’s immune-privileged sites. Immune responses are restrained in the eyes to prevent inflammation that can damage our…
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