Be careful when cleaning your contact lenses. Tap water should be banned because it contains bacteria that are dangerous to the eye and can lead to a painful disease: amoebic keratitis. The most serious cases can lead to total loss of sight.
A corneal infection
Keratitis is an infection of the cornea, the transparent part inside the eye. This is where contact lenses are placed. Amoebic keratitis is an infection of the cornea by an amoeba, which is very painful for the eye. This disease can be caught in contact with water: “The amoeba is a parasite present in particular in swimming pool water, tap water or in jacuzzis”, explains Doctor Marc Vareilles, ophthalmologist in Grenoble.
Be careful then to avoid that the lenses come into contact with water. These must be removed when swimming, whether in the pool, at the sea, in a lake or pond. You should also remember to remove them in the shower.
Until complete loss of sight
Among the symptoms of amoebic keratitis, there are various very visual elements: “The eye becomes red and very painful, the cornea becomes cloudy and you can go as far as loss of sight”, explains Doctor Vareilles.
To detect amoebic keratitis, the doctor takes a sample of corneal tissue to identify whether or not an amoeba is present.
A long and not systematic recovery
If the disease is taken care of quickly (a few days after the infection, up to two weeks maximum), it can be cured. If it’s too late, the parasite will gradually start eating away at the cornea. The remission can however be very long: “The treatment consists of taking antiseptics for several months. These are antiseptic drops in the eyes, several times a day, up to once an hour, ”explains Marc Vareilles.
Amoebic keratitis causes severe pain on exposure to light. Patients often wear sunglasses to reduce this sensitivity to light, or sometimes voluntarily immerse themselves in a completely dark room.
Use antiseptic solutions
Also be careful when cleaning contact lenses. “You have to wash your hands before and after handling the lenses,” warns Marc Vareilles. If tap water is to be banned to clean your lenses, choose suitable products: “You must use an antiseptic solution every night, which must be changed after each use”, continues the ophthalmologist.