Can you catch an infection from your contacts? The man details a parasitic infection that led to vision loss

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For a week, Nick Humphreys' right eye felt dry and irritated. He tried to treat her with over-the-counter eye drops and cut the brightness of her devices. Yet, his pain has increased. He finally visited a local hospital and learned that he was suffering from a parasitic infection, keratitis in Acanthamoeba (AK), that he would probably have contracted after a shower while wearing it. contact lenses. He lost the vision of his right eye and will undergo a corneal transplant in August to restore his sight.

"If I had the slightest idea that it was even a distant possibility, I would never have made contacts. It's crucial that people know that it's a reality and that it can happen because of something as simple as taking a shower, "said Humphreys, 29, of Shropshire, England , in an article he had written for the Shropshire Star.

Wearing contacts during showering and swimming can lead to very serious infections that, if left untreated, can cause scarring and loss of vision. Courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Humphreys began having eye problems in January 2018. After consulting a doctor, he took eye drops for a week, but the pain did not improve and he still had an infection. In March, he lost sight in the eyes, rare but real complication of a serious infection of the cornea.

"Most infections can be treated aggressively with drops," said Dr. Danielle Trief, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute at the Columbia Medical Center in New York City, which Did not treat Humphreys. "It is unusual to lose total vision."

But that does not mean that it's harmless.

"It's as serious as a corneal infection," said Dr. Randy McLaughlin, Associate Professor, Optometry Division, Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, today. "It can form like a cyst that makes it harder to treat."

AK is a protozoan parasite that grows in hot, humid dark areas. It is found in pools and spas, but Trief has also treated the patients who developed it after the shower (it is more often in well water). Although not all people who develop AK wear contact lenses, they are rare among contactless lens users.

"I am always surprised to see Acanthamoeba in a person without contact lenses," she said.

The reason it is more common in contact wearers is that the contacts create tiny cuts to the eye that facilitate infiltration of the parasite and jamming under the lens.

"There may be small micro-abrasions on the cornea and if it contains a bacterium or parasite, normally acanthamoeba would not enter the eye. (But) he can get stuck there, "said Trief.

Nick Humphreys, our great supporter of Fight for Sight, raises awareness about the need to take care of contact lenses and to provide clearer information on lens packaging, after losing sight of his keratitis eye in Acanthamoeba : https://t.co/ooUYXWlyYF #Contact lenses #AK

– Fight for sight (@fightforsightUK) July 9, 2019

The parasite causes ulcers and scars on the cornea. If they become too severe, a person may lose their sight, as in Humphreys. If this is the case, doctors can perform a corneal transplant, an outpatient procedure where doctors replace the damaged cornea with a dead donor cornea. The surgery takes about an hour and the doctors subject the patients to anesthesia and numbness at the eye. Sixteen fine stitches hold the cornea in place and the doctors remove them slowly in a few weeks. However, transplant recipients rarely have perfect vision of this eye and are at increased risk for glaucoma and corneal rejection.

"I do not want this infection to anyone," said Trief.

The easiest way to avoid the fate of Humphreys? Never shower or swim in contact lenses.

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