Bausch & Lomb Inc. said Monday it has permanently removed from markets worldwide a contact lens solution linked by health authorities to an outbreak of rare fungal infections that can cause blindness. Its shares rose nearly 9 percent.

The Food and Drug Administration said Bausch & Lomb suspects that ReNu with MoistureLoc solution’s unique disinfecting and moisturizing agents “in certain unusual circumstances can increase the risk of Fusarium infection.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that the number of confirmed cases of Fusarium keratitis in the United States has climbed to 122, most of them contact lens wearers who reported using Bausch & Lomb’s newest cleaner, which was introduced in late 2004.