Recall of Artificial Tears and Other Eye Drops Announced
Areazine synthesizes this FDA recall directly from FDA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
K.C. Pharmaceuticals is recalling over 1 million bottles of various eye drops, including Artificial Tears, due to a lack of assurance of sterility.
What this FDA recall tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by FDA on April 14, 2026 and geographically references United States. Its severity classification of "medium" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - FDA Recalls - determines the consumer-protection framework behind it, which shapes what remedies (refunds, replacements, repairs, or the recall itself) are available to affected consumers and which agency holds statutory responsibility for enforcement.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are recall, product-safety, cpsc, eye-drops.
What Happened
K.C. Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is recalling certain eye drops because of a lack of assurance of sterility, as classified by the FDA as a Class II recall.
Which Products Are Affected
The affected products include brands such as ARTIFICIAL TEARS, RITE AID EYE DROPS DRY EYE RELIEF, LEADER DRY EYE RELIEF EYE DROPS, FOSTER AND THRIVE ADVANCED RELIEF EYE DROPS, MEIJER DRY EYE RELIEF, and GNP EYE DROPS DRY EYE RELIEF. Specific details include NDCs like 57896-181, package NDCs like 57896-181-05, UPCs such as 0357896184056, and lot numbers like LT24E01, LT24E02, with expiration dates ranging from 05/31/26 to 10/31/26. A total of 1,023,096 bottles are affected, distributed nationwide in the United States.
What You Should Do
Consumers who have the affected products should contact the recalling firm, K.C. Pharmaceuticals, Inc., at their address 3420 Pomona Blvd, Pomona, CA 91768-3236, for instructions on returns and refunds, as this is a voluntary firm-initiated recall.
Why This Matters
This recall involves a significant quantity of eye drops that may not meet sterility standards, potentially leading to health risks for users in the United States.
Source
FDA Recall Notice: D-0411-2026
Original source: FDA Official Notice ↗
Related FDA Recalls
All FDA Recalls →Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8
Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this FDA recall: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (1,220 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to April 14, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this FDA recall.