The Food and Drug Administration on Friday issued a warning to consumers to not purchase or immediately discontinue use of 26 over-the-counter eye drops due to possible risk of eye infections, potentially leading to partial vision loss or blindness.

FDA investigators found unsanitary conditions at the manufacturing plant shared by the various generic eye drop brands, including bacteria in "critical drug production areas in the facility."

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The products under emergency recall are marketed as CVS, Rite Aid, Target Up&Up generic products, as well as those under the Leader, Rugby, and Velocity Pharma brands.

Agency regulators said in their advisory that they urged the brands to remove their products as early as Wednesday, and that CVS, Rite Aid, and Target had already begun complying.

Eye drops and other ophthalmic products "pose a potential heightened risk of harm to users because drugs applied to the eyes bypass some of the body's natural defenses," according to the FDA statement.

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No adverse events had been reported to the FDA as of Friday.

The FDA also encouraged patients to safely dispose of all unused products.