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Users of reusable contact lenses are more likely to have poor contact lens hygiene, contaminate the lens with water and use ineffective contact lens solutions. They are also more prone to contracting Acanthamoeba keratitis, a rare eye infection. ( Wikimedia Commons )
What is keratitis in Acanthamoeba? Researchers have identified the rare eye infection among reusable contact lens users in the UK. Although still considered largely preventable and rare, the number of people infected has increased significantly in recent years.
Keratitis in Acanthamoeba in the United Kingdom
Acanthamoeba keratitis is a rare eye disease that causes pain and inflammation of the cornea. It is caused by an infection by a microorganism called a cyst called Acanthamoeba, and 25% of those infected need a corneal transplant to treat the disease or to restore vision. Severely infected people can stay with less than 25% of their vision or even become completely blind and require long-term treatment.
The infection is still considered quite rare, but data collected by researchers from the Eye Hospital of Moorfields and University College London revealed that, compared to the period 2000-2003, infections were 36 to 65 cases. per year in recent years.
The data collected comes from the Moorfields Eye Hospital, which treats over a third of all cases of acanthamoeba keratitis in the UK. Their discovery is therefore largely relevant in the United Kingdom. Moreover, keratitis in Acanthamoeba is also more prevalent in the UK than in any other country, probably because of higher levels in the domestic water supply.
Users of contact lenses are at higher risk
Anyone can be affected by the disease, but contact lens users are more likely to get it. In a case-control study conducted by the researchers, 63 people were diagnosed with acanthamoeba keratitis and 213 without completing a questionnaire revealing their risk factors for contracting the disease. Participants used reusable contact lenses daily and all visited the Moorfields Eye Hospital between 2011 and 2014.
Of course, the risk of contracting the disease is three times higher for those who practice poor hygiene of contact lenses, those who use a disinfectant without Oxipol, those who do not always wash properly before handling contact lenses, contact lenses in hot tubs and pools, and even those who took showers or washed their faces with contact lenses.
As such, researchers note that contact lens wearers need to be sensitized to these risks in order to reduce the increasing incidence of this rare ocular infection that can lead to blindness. According to the study's co-author, Dr. Nicole Carn, their research has confirmed the growing incidence of the life-threatening illness and that many steps can be taken to prevent people from losing their sight.
"This infection is still quite rare, usually affecting 2.5 to 100,000 contact lens users a 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, "said Professor John Dart, lead author of the study.
The study is published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
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