Our Homeopathic Eye Drops Are Gone!

Today’s Report:

Our Homeopathic Eye Drops Are Gone!

You are almost certainly aware that the FDA has been targeting another category of homeopathic medicines, withdrawing all known homeopathic eye drops from the U.S. market. On December 12 when the agency issued a consumer advisory in which it told consumers NOT to use homeopathic eye drops because “these products should not be marketed,” it became even more clear that the agency does not intend for any of the products withdrawn to return.

We’ve been warning for years that it would come to this—even though the FDA has not demonstrated any harm to consumers or pointed to any adverse reaction reports regarding homeopathic eye drops or the injectable homeopathics that the FDA previously eliminated from American shelves.

The agency remains heedless that its actions are actually increasing risk to consumers who have consistently sought out nontoxic, gentle homeopathic eye drops that alleviate their suffering and in many cases resolve their conditions. Now, consumers will be forced toward solutions that are inherently more risky because those solutions do not rely on nontoxic formulations.

Some of our members have shared with us what this means for them, and we share three of their stories with you here:

I am a licensed naturopathic physician who is board-certified in homeopathy. I have been in practice for 21 years. I have used the Similasan line of eye drops extensively in my practice. I have used them effectively and safely with my senior, adult, and pediatric patients. I have had success in treating conjunctivitis (aka pink eye), styes, dry eye, and allergic reactions with their products. I have never had an adverse event reported to me by any of my patients who have used these products. I am deeply saddened and frustrated by the FDA’s choice to take these products off of the market. This is not the first time that the FDA’s actions have had a deleterious effect on my practice and my ability to safely and effectively treat my patients at an affordable cost.

—A. C., ND, DHANP, CCH

I was diagnosed with moderate dry eye by my ophthalmologist a few years ago. I have used both the sterile single-use lubricant eye drops (Refresh Plus) as well as the sterile homeopathic dry eye drops (Similasan Dry Eye Relief). I initially was using the Refresh Plus eye drops because I could get them in bulk from Costco. After a while, I noticed that I seemed to be needing more and more of the eye drops and overnight my eyes would dry out so much I couldn’t open my eyelids easily in the morning. A few months ago, I switched to the Similasan homeopathic eye drops and started noticing that sometimes I wasn’t using any eye drops all day and I was no longer having a problem overnight with my eyes drying out. In fact, I was starting my day not thinking about my eyes at all. They feel so much better now! I was shocked that suddenly I was no longer able to purchase this very effective product. If there have been reported problems with this product, I would understand pulling them from the market, but as far as I know, this is not the case. Because this product works so well, I already had a 2-month supply at home. I truly hope the homeopathic eye drops can be made available again SOON.

—A. P.

My husband (a 20-year military veteran) has been using homeopathic eye drops because the other brands burn his eyes and are not effective. He uses them for mild allergies when the seasons change here. He asked me about homeopathic options because the burning was becoming unbearable. Now the eye drops are gone.

—T. S.