Acanthamoeba keratitisAcanthamoeba keratitis may be described as a rare condition which is extremely painful in nature. It may actually impact the cornea which is a transparent covering at the front of the eye to a great extent. The intensity is extremely severe and may have a potentially blinding impact on the cornea of the eye.
The different risk factors of this condition are use of tap water for rinsing lenses or the storage case of the lenses, using lenses while taking shower or while swimming, improper care of the lenses due to use of ineffective lens solutions and also not following the other lens care instructions adequately. In case of improper care of the contact lenses, the organism called Acanthamoeba may gain access to the storage case of the contact lenses and after this it can survive and grow within the storage case of the lenses. The organism then gets transferred to the contact lenses and when these infected contact lenses are used by a person, they infect the cornea of the eye. At times, the infecting organisms can reach directly to the eye from a water source which may carry these organisms as the water source has not been cleaned properly.The condition can occur in any age group or sex. However, mostly young, healthy adults have been found to get infected with this condition. The different symptoms of the condition are blurred vision, continuous watering of the eyes, sensitivity to light, feeling of having something in the eyes, etc. The disease if recognized at an early stage can be well managed. However, in case it is not detected at a proper stage, it may require an extremely intensive treatment. The infection itself can be prevented in most cases if people follow instructions while using contact lenses and ensure proper care of the lenses.
|
