When Andrew Carthew, a paramedic from the UK, woke up with a weepy eye, he initially thought that it was because of conjunctivitis, a relatively common eye infection. However, it turned out to be an amoeba infection which eventually cost him his eye.
The infection was caused by an amoeba found in tap water
The infection is called Acanthamoeba keratitis, and it's caused by an amoeba that can be found in tap water. While it's very rare, it does happen frequently to people who are wearing contact lenses, just like Andrew.
Andrew initially thought that the infection wasn't anything to worry about, until it became painful and neither antibiotics nor a cornea transplant helped him. Surgeons were then forced to remove his eye in order to save his life.
It's important to keep your contact lenses clean
The amoeba infection that happened to Andrew is one of the major reasons why health professionals recommend that people who wear contact lenses should always be careful and keep their contact lenses as clean as possible.
Andrew shares, "I never swam in them or showered in them or slept in them and I never washed them in tap water, which is all the things that you shouldn't do."
"I must have had a contaminated finger and rubbed my eye or put them in with a contaminated finger and the bacteria harbored in this case."
He adds, "I think opticians need to tell people what could happen and that infections are likely and in my case severe infections are rare but they can happen."
Go to the next page to learn more about taking care of contact lenses.
Caring for contact lenses
If you or any member of your family wear contact lenses, then you should already be aware that it's very important to always keep them clean in order to avoid infection.
Here are just a few more tips when it comes to caring for contact lenses:
- Before touching your contact lenses, always make sure that you washed your hands with soap and water, and that they're completely dry.
- If you're planning on going swimming, take out your contact lenses before diving in.
- Never rinse or store your contact lenses in tap water. Make sure to only use the recommended sterile saline solution for your contact lenses.
- Use the correct disinfectant to disinfect your lenses, saline solution is not enough.
- Make sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding your contact lenses, also make sure to follow all of the guidelines that your doctor says.
- Don't rub your eyes, even if you're not wearing contact lenses as bacteria and contaminants from your hand can cause an infection.
- When cleaning your contact lens case, use only the recommended saline solution and let it air dry.
- Keep the case clean and replace it every three months at the very least as lens cases can be a source of infection and contamination if used for a long time.
READ: Shocking! LASIK patients suffer from more eye problems after treatment
Sources: dailymail.co.uk, today.com, aao.org
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