This is why you should never take a shower with contact lenses

Attention!
Therefore, you should NEVER take a shower with contact lenses

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A British woman had got used to not taking out her contact lenses when bathing or showering – a very bad idea from a health point of view.

A 41-year-old British woman will certainly not make this mistake again: Like doctors in the specialist journal “The England Journal of Medicine” report, the woman presented to an ophthalmologist’s office with pain, blurred vision and sensitivity to light in the left eye. According to the eye test that was carried out, the eye was almost blind, and the cornea was cloudy and scratched. An eye test revealed that the British woman was infected with so-called acanthamoeba – probably from contaminated shower or bath water. Because the woman had stated that she did not take out her contact lenses for showering or bathing.

Dangerous infection

Acanthamoeba can only be seen under the microscope and are mostly found in water, in the ground and in air conditioning systems. If they get into the eye, they penetrate the cornea and cloud it. Over time, the parasites can even eat a hole in the cornea. The affected person’s eyesight decreases significantly within two to three weeks, In the worst case, there is a risk of blindness. Patients therefore depend on the parasite being identified and treated quickly.

Medicines helped the British against the inflammation in the eye, however, their eyesight is not completely healed. With a corneal transplant, she can see a little more than before and no longer has any pain, but her vision is so limited that she is still considered visually impaired.

Out with your contact lenses!

Doctors recommend that you never wear contact lenses for showering or bathing. Because there are also infections with acanthamoeba in this country – around 200 per year, as the German Ophthalmological Society (“DOG”) estimates. And contact lens wearers are particularly affected: According to the German Society for Hospital Hygiene contact lens wearers are up to 400 times more likely to get infected than those who do not wear lenses.


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Tips for wearing contact lenses

Particularly soft contact lenses are very susceptible to bacteria and germs – but with every lens, regular cleaning after each use is a must, if it is reused. You should also wash your hands properly before inserting.