Woman goes blind for months after infection caused by contact lens (2024)

In May 2019,Emily Kelleher, a high school English teacher inMassachusetts, woke up in excruciating pain.

Her left eye felt like it was being stabbed by a 'knife or an ice pick' and was blood red. She put on her glasses, but still couldn't see out of the affected eye.

She went to the doctor, who saw flecks of white, cloudy material all over her eye. Eventually, they diagnosed Ms Kelleher with a rare parasitic infection, called acanthamoebakeratitis.

Her doctors told her she likely got it when the parasites got into her eye while showering with contacts, something she used to do every day.

'Tell your friends. Learn from me, because I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy,' Ms Kelleher said.

@ms.k.ela

#greenscreen Reply to @ellamenohpea Here’s my contact lens horror story! Contacts and water DONT mix! #acanthamoebakeratitis #contactlenses #contactlenssafety #glassessquad #eyehealth #teachersoftiktok

♬ Lo-fi hip hop - NAO-K

About 45 million people in the United States wear contact lenses.

Though they may seem like an every day accessories,the CDC notes thatcontacts are medical devices, and using them improperly can lead to infection, scarring and blindness.

In rare cases like Ms Kelleher they can cause painful parasitic infections.

These bugs live in water, and can get into the eye through microscopic tears in the cornea. They burrow this clear outer layer of her eyeball and breed, multiplying and eating the healthy tissue there.

An estimated 1,500 Americans get it each year, according toThe Cleveland Clinic.Roughly 90 percent of those cases occur in people who wear contact lenses.

As such, eye doctors recommend against showering, swimming or using a hot tub with your lenses in.

Ms Kelleher's eye under the microscope (pictured here) in her doctors office revealed the presence ofacanthamoeba parasites

Ms Kelleher said there were hundreds of the microscopic parasite in her eye.

She had to have her eye scraped with a scalpel to try to remove as many of the parasites as possible, and was blind for three days after.

For three months following, she had to use special eye drops every hour all day and all night.

Some people lose their eye or vision completely. But after about a year, Ms Kelleher has healed completely, thoughnow she wears glasses exclusively.

What's more common than acanthamoebakeratitis are problems related using non-sterile contacts or to buying contacts online that don't fit.

Azula Cinta, a lifestyle creator from Singapore, purchased contacts a TikTok shop in May of 2024.

In a video with over 16 million views, Ms Cinta shared that she had been wearing contacts for 11 years, and had never before had any issues with her prescription lenses.

@azulacinta

please do not buy contact lenses from tiktok shop

♬ original sound - Azula ✿ - Azula Cinta

Despite wearing these new contacts for less than eight hours, Ms Cinta noticed her eyes becoming extremely red, swollen and painful. She went to an optometrist to get examined.

There, her doctor told her that she had developed an infection from the contacts, and sent her home with antibiotic eye drops.

'Please do not buy contact lenses from Tiktok shop' she said.

Read More Gruesome video shows elderly woman having 23 CONTACT LENSES removed from her eyeball with a Q-tip after forgetting to replace them for TWO YEARS

Buying contact lenses from an online retailer without guidance from a doctor puts you at risk of purchasing contacts that don't fit your eye correctly, Dr Rupda Wong, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, told ELLE.

'If you are wearing a contact lens that’s not fit properly to the surface of your eye, it can cause a lot of complications,' Dr Wong said.

Wearing improper fitting contacts can block the flow of oxygen and water your eyes need to stay healthy, irritate the eyes and cause tiny tears in the eyes surface.

If the lens is too tight, it can cause the eye to swell, making for painful and blurry vision.

'Best case scenario, the lens might be a little bit uncomfortable. It can cause dryness or irritation on the front surface of the eyes,' Dr Brieann Adair, an optometrist from NYU Langone Eye Center, said.

Other times, irritation from a lens that's too small could cause bacterial infections, leading to scarring which makes vision worse.

Ms Cinta stated that living through this experience made her unlikely to purchase contacts online again.

'Moving forward, i will only be buying lenses from a licensed optometrist shop to prevent this to ever happen again and i hope you guys would take my advice as well,' she said.

Woman goes blind for months after infection caused by contact lens (2024)

FAQs

Woman goes blind for months after infection caused by contact lens? ›

Acanthamoeba is also known as one of those brain eating amoebas you hear about. It is vision threatening and in some cases, you lose your eye.” Rachel noted she hadn't swam or used a hot tub for 9 months before her infection so the only place she could have gotten it was from showering while wearing her contacts.

Can contact lens infection cause blindness? ›

Microbial keratitis is a serious type of eye infection in contact lens wearers, which can lead to blindness or the need for corneal transplant in the most severe cases.

Has anyone gone blind from contact lenses? ›

Sadly, in 2023, while 34 weeks pregnant, she "went blind" in one of her eyes after wearing her lenses in the shower. Prochnow, who recently underwent a cornea transplant to redeem her vision, now wants others to know about the rare condition that caused her blindness that optometrists never warned her about.

Can contact lenses cause permanent loss of vision? ›

Adverse effects due to contact lens wear can be acute or chronic in nature and can span the range from a mere annoyance to a disabling condition that results in permanent ocular damage or loss of the eye.

Did Texas mom go blind after making common mistake with her contact lenses? ›

A Texas mother has gone blind in one eye after making a grave error with her contact lenses. Last year, Rachel Prochnow, an Austin, Texas-based lifestyle writer, did something she'd done countless times before: she showered without taking the lenses out.

Can an eye infection cause permanent blindness? ›

If it's not treated quickly, the bacteria that cause orbital cellulitis can permanently damage your eye and cause blindness.

What is the most common cause of blindness due to infection? ›

Key facts. Trachoma is a disease of the eye caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. It is a public health problem in 42 countries, and is responsible for the blindness or visual impairment of about 1.9 million people. Blindness from trachoma is irreversible.

Can a fully blind person see again? ›

Trauma and some hereditary conditions may also lead to blindness. While there are therapies to slow the progression of vision loss, there are currently none that restore sight.

Can leaving your contacts in too long cause blindness? ›

Because your eyes are getting less oxygen, they will try to grow new blood vessels in an effort to increase the flow of oxygen. These extra blood vessels prevent light from traveling through the cornea, which will ultimately cause vision damage.

Can legally blind be corrected with contacts? ›

First: What does it mean to be "legally blind?" In most states, if you have distance visual acuity less than 20/200 that is not correctable with glasses/contact lenses, you are legally considered to be "severely visually handicapped" (which used to be called "legally blind").

Can you get an infection from wearing contacts too long? ›

Keratitis is the most common eye infection from wearing contact lenses. It is when the cornea—the clear, dome-shaped window of the eye — becomes infected. In some cases, it can scar the cornea, affecting your vision.

What are the long term effects of contacts on eyes? ›

Giant papillary conjunctivitis: Long-term use of contacts can cause inflammation of the upper eyelid from rubbing over the contact lens. It typically causes itching or a sensation of having something in the eye, and people with the condition may become increasingly intolerant of contacts.

How to treat eye infection from contacts? ›

How are infections from contact lenses treated? Eye infections are usually treated with antibiotic drops. Your doctor will prescribe drops according to the severity of your infection. If you have any complications like the formation of blood vessels, your doctor may prescribe additional medications.

What is contact lens abuse? ›

Among eye doctors and technicians, sleeping in contact lenses and caring for them improperly is actually called “contact lens abuse.” And it turns out eye professionals can usually tell if you're an abuser, no matter what you say at your eye exam, because your cornea (the outermost surface of your eye) will actually ...

What is contact lens blindness? ›

Acanthamoeba keratitis is a severe but very rare painful infection of the cornea, the transparent outer covering of the eye, which usually causes scarring and, if undiagnosed and untreated, can lead to blindness.

Can people with really bad eyesight get contacts? ›

Toric contacts.

These can correct vision for people with astigmatism, though not as well as hard contact lenses. Toric lenses can be for daily or extended wear. But they often cost more than other types of soft contact lenses.

Can an eye infection mess up your vision? ›

Many cases of eye infections begin with eye discomfort, redness and itchiness. Some cases can lead to vision loss. It's important to see a healthcare provider to determine the exact cause and find the correct treatment.

What happens if you get an infection from contacts? ›

Contact lens-related infections of the eye can be extremely uncomfortable and, depending on the cause and severity of the infection, can lead to vision loss and possibly even blindness if left untreated.

What are infectious complications of contact lenses? ›

  • Multiple sterile corneal infiltrates.
  • Punctate keratitis from toxic chemical.
  • Superior limbic keratoconjunctivitis in contact lens wearer.
  • Suction device to remove tight fitting contact lenses.
  • Giant papillary conjunctivitis with giant papillae on the palpebral conjunctiva.
  • Subconjunctival hemorrhage.
  • Fungal keratitis.
Jul 31, 2024

How do I know if I have an amoeba in my eye? ›

Symptoms of Amebic Keratitis

Typically, a painful sore develops on the cornea. Symptoms of amebic keratitis include eye redness, excess tear production, sensation of a foreign body, and pain when the eyes are exposed to bright light. Vision is usually impaired.

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