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Acanthamoeba keratitis, a painful and swollen corneal infection, has tripled since 2011.
It is caused by the microorganism forming an Acanthamoeba cyst, which is common in nature and is usually found in water plans such as lakes, oceans and rivers, as well as tap water, pools, spas, soil and air.
The virus occurs more frequently in the United Kingdom than in other countries, probably because of higher levels in domestic systems rather than in water distribution systems, so the contamination of the lenses contact is of particular concern in the United Kingdom.
But the epidemic is preventable and contact lens wearers need to know the risk, warned the new study conducted by researchers at UCL and Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Anyone can be infected, but contact lens users are at greatest risk, because of increased susceptibility to infection, for reasons still poorly identified, due to the wearing of contact lenses and contamination of lens cases.
Reusable contact lens wearers with an eye infection are more likely to have used an ineffective contact lens solution, contaminated their lenses with water or reported poor contact lens hygiene.
The infection requires immediate attention, usually with antiseptic drops, but hard-to-treat cases may also require antibiotics or steroids, as well as painkillers.
In the most serious infections, a corneal transplant may be necessary.
Lead author, Professor John Dart, said, "This infection is still quite rare, usually affecting 2.5 per 100,000 contact lens users per year in southeastern England, but it is largely preventable.
"This increase in the number of cases underscores the need for contact lens users to be aware of the risks."
Professor Dart of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Hospital said: "People who wear reusable contact lenses need to make sure Wash your hands thoroughly before handling contact lenses.
"Daily disposable lenses, which eliminate the need for contact lens cases or solutions, may be safer and we are currently analyzing our data to determine the risk factors for them."
The researchers collected data on the incidence of Moorfields Eye Hospital from 1985 to 2016.
They found an increase from 2000 to 2003, where there were eight to 10 cases per year, between 36 and 65 annual cases in recent years.
As Moorfields deals with more than one in three cases in the UK, researchers expect their findings to be more broadly relevant to the UK.
The most severely affected patients who make up a quarter of the total have less than 25% of vision or become blind after the disease and face prolonged treatment.
Overall, 25% of those affected need a corneal transplant to treat the disease or restore vision.
The researchers also conducted a case-control study of people who wear reusable contact lenses daily, although the disease is also associated with disposable lenses.
He compared those who had been diagnosed with Acanthamoeba keratitis to those who had come to Moorfields A & E for any other reason, from 2011 to 2014.
The case-control study included 63 people with keratitis in Acanthamoeba and 213 without completing a questionnaire.
He found that the risk of developing the disease was more than three times higher in people with poor contact lens hygiene, who did not always wash their hands before handling their lenses, those who used a disinfectant containing Oxipol the manufacturer), and for people who wore their contacts in pools or spas.
Showering and washing the face while wearing contact lenses are also risk factors.
Co-author Nicole Carnt, who completed the study at Moorfields before moving to the University of New South Wales, said, "We now need to share this information as widely as possible with clinicians, clinicians and clinicians. practitioners and contact lens wearers. this has proven effective in the past to reduce the incidence and burden of this serious eye infection. "
Irenie Ekkeshis, who is part of the British Acanthamoeba Patient Support Group, added: "This research confirms what people with Acanthamoeba keratitis have long suspected: the impact of this terrible infection requires more to prevent people from losing sight of keratitis in Acanthamoeba "
It is absolutely imperative that regulators and those working in the optics sector take these findings seriously and use the recommendations to take immediate and urgent preventive action.
"Contact lenses are medical devices and must be provided with warnings about safe use."
The study was published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
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