New Delhi: A 23-year-old woman from Texas, US, recently lost her vision after she went for a swim with her contact lenses on. While visiting Alabama with her friends in August, she contracted a rare parasitic infection known as acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) which damaged her cornea and resulted in vision loss. The amoebic infection mimics other diseases, therefore, when the patient was put on steroids and eye drops. It was also found that delay in diagnosis made the infection worse and it also caused unimaginable pain to the patient.
The 23-year-old revealed that she had been visiting the eye doctor every two days and that she was referred to a different eye specialist regarding vision loss and pain. And when she got the results back, it was confirmed to be a case of rare infection. This could reportedly have caused her to go blind completely, or lose her eye if treatment was not started immediately.
What is acanthamoeba keratitis (AK)?
Acanthamoeba keratitis is an often misdiagnosed corneal infection. According to a 2023 study by StatPearls journal, this infection primarily affects people who wear contact lenses, and it occasionally causes corneal trauma in non-contact lens users. The symptoms of this infection are:
- Watery eyes
- Eye pain
- Light sensitivity
- Feeling like something is stuck in the eyes
- Irritation
- Eye redness
- Blurred, cloudy vision
- Corneas looking cloudy
What are the causes of acanthamoeba keratitis?
The causes of acanthamoeba keratitis are:
- Eye injuries
- Using contact lenses
- Exposure to contaminated water
And talk of the treatment, the infection is usually treated with either medication or surgery. As a precaution, it is advised to:
- Store contact lenses properly
- Discard in case of infection
- Wear only as instructed
- Avoid direct exposure to water in the eyes
