A man has been left blind in one eye after his contact lens
became infected with a parasite. Retired engineer Stephen Souter, 63, suffered
'indescribable' pain from the vicious condition which slowly destroyed his sight.
The infection attacked the cornea - the clear 'window' at the front of the eye
- which is incredibly sensitive and has the highest density of pain receptors
in the body.
Mr. Souter was diagnosed with acanthamoeba keratitis, an
infection caused by an amoeba — a parasite found in almost all soil, fresh
water and sea water. It thrives where lime scale and bacteria are present, but
contact lens wearers are at highest risk if they clean their lenses or lens
cases in tap water, or if they swim, shower or bathe while wearing their
lenses.
This means the parasite can become trapped between the lens
and the eye, allowing it to burrow into the eyeball. The vast majority of
victims - some 85 per cent - are people who wear contact lenses where poor lens
hygiene increases the risk. Around 1 in 50,000 contact lens wearers in the UK
are affected each year by the condition but only a minority of them loses their
sight.
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