Trouble with Contact Lenses

[PaulS]

I'm sharing this for anybody who wears contact lenses, although it is also a potential risk for others too.

A couple of months ago I had a friend lose sight in one eye from an infection - Bacterial keratitis.  He incurred a scratch in his eye (most likely a grain of sand whilst gardening) and within a day his eye had become itchy and red.  He just put it down to the scratch.  The next day it was worse with some eyeball pain, but his doctor said don't worry - give it a couple of days.  The next day it was really painful and unbelievably, when he went to Emergency they just brushed him off and said wait a day or two to see if the scratch comes good.  The next day his pain was so great he went to a different Emergency, and was admitted to hospital for 4 days and now has lost his vision in his eye due to this infection damaging his cornea.

I had never heard of this specific problem before, even though I wear contacts myself, and was always just told to be 'cautious' as bacteria can sometimes breed behind the contacts.

Anyway, I got a scratch to my eye on Wednesday night from a new contact lenses that didn't sit well.  Thursday morning my eye was red and sore, so I just changed contact lenses which gave me a little relief, so I thought I was all good.  That night in bed, my eyeball was hurting, so remembering my friend's recent experience I headed straight to Emergency, where the Doctor identified bacterial keratitis, provided me antibiotics and arranged for an emergency presentation to an eye specialist the next day, who prescribed further antibiotics. The specialist advised that this was an aggressive infection and that if I had left it another 24-48hrs, I'd be in the same boat as my friend!

So, just a word of warning, to anybody in general, but specifically to those who wear contact lenses - do not muck about with sore/scratchy/painful eyes and immediately see a doctor - just perhaps not the first two that my friend saw!

 

[tariki]

Thanks Paul for the warnings based upon your own experience. I don't wear contact lenses myself, but take on board the potential risk anyway.

Given my own experience at Moorfield's eye hospital and various information gleaned there from their consultants, no matter the symptoms (black spots - excessive "floaters" - flashing lights) the sooner these are checked out by  informed and competent experts, the more likely you are to get a satisfactory result. "Time is of the essence" as they say. Eyesight is precious.