Pictured: an artist's impression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, main, and plastic medical equipment, inset. ivan68 / quantic69/iStock / Getty Images Plus ...

EzriCare artificial tears are suspected to be the cause of an outbreak of the VIM-GES-CRPA strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which the CDC said is the first outbreak of its kind in the U.S.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting an additional death and six more cases of vision loss linked to infections from eye drops recalled due to bacterial contamination.

As of Friday, the CDC had identified 68 cases of a new strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 16 states. The investigation is still underway, and the agency has to wait for states to report other cases.