Contact Wearers Beware of Eyeball-Eating Amoeba
Liz Klimas reports at The Blaze:
An acanthamoeba may not be a term you’re likely to hear at the optometrist while being outfitted for a new prescription for contacts, but it’s a good reason to heed their warnings about proper contact lens care.
The acanthamoeba is a microorganism found to essentially crawl through the eye’s cornea, causing not only pain but also potentially permanent blindness. The United Kindgom’s Press Association [UKPA] recently reported [that although] incidence of the infection is rare -- only about 75 people of the 3.7 million contact lens wears in the U.K. are treated each year -- it’s still worth being aware of how to best avoid contracting it.
"The UKPA states that the parasite, which burrows into the eye, can be picked up from a dirty case or from rinsing lenses in tap, river, pond or lake water," Klimas reports.
The UKPA "also notes the condition, Acanthamoeba keratitis, is often misdiagnosed," Klimas continues. "Once contracted, treatment includes a hospital stay with 'round-the-clock administration of disinfecting eye drops,' UKPA states. If the infection is bad enough, the cornea could need to be replaced or blindness could also result."
