Sreemoyee Chatterjee
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Contact lens may cause deadly infection and leave you blind © Shutterstock
Do not like wearing spectacles and prefer contact lens? It is time for you to think twice before wearing these lens as they can severely hurt your eyes, warn doctors. This is because of an outbreak of a rare infection that can leave you blind. Medical experts have pointed out that those wearing contact lens are at a greater risk of developing Acanthamoeba keratitis, an infection of the cornea that is very painful. According to recent media report, the infection is caused by Acanthamoeba, a microscopic organism that is common in nature and is mostly found in water bodies like lakes, rivers, tap water and swimming pools. This can be found in air and soil as well, highlights the media report.
Doctors have reported an increasing number of people suffering from Acanthamoeba keratitis in the last few years. While only 10 cases used to get reported in England between 2000 and 2003, the number has increased between 35 to 65 from 2011 and 2016, states the media report. The situation is same across the world, doctors say. While a study estimated that only 2.5 cases per 100,000 contact lens wearers were found in England in 2002, now the figure is two to three times higher, according to a study conducted by the researchers from University College London (UCL) and Moorfields.
Experts say that this is a severe infection and those who develop this are left with less than 25% of their vision. They can also become blind after the infection is cleared. Researchers say that those wearing reusable contacts or using ineffective contact lens solution or having poor hygiene habits or using lens that have got contaminated with water are more likely to get infected.
Professor John Dart from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology reportedly said: This increase in cases highlights the need for contact lens users to be aware of the risks.