[Sportschosun, Jang Jong-ho] A British woman who washed her face while wearing contact lenses and was simultaneously infected with a rare parasite and fungus is now facing the risk of blindness in one eye, prompting renewed caution for contact lens users.
According to foreign media outlets including The Mirror, Emma Mazden, 47, who lives in Lancashire, England, was covered in mud while cleaning out a livestock pen in late February. She washed her face and hands to remove the dirt, but did not take out her contact lenses until that evening.
Four days later, she began experiencing severe stinging and intense pain in her right eye and sought treatment from an ophthalmologist. Initial tests found nothing unusual, so medical staff diagnosed her with a corneal ulcer, prescribed eye drops, and sent her home.
As time passed, however, the pain grew worse, and she eventually lost almost all vision in her right eye.
Further tests showed that she had been diagnosed with both Acanthamoeba keratitis and Fusarium keratitis. Acanthamoeba keratitis is a rare infection caused when free-living amoebas found in tap water or soil invade the cornea, while Fusarium keratitis is a serious corneal infection caused by fungus.
Medical staff believe parasites in tap water entered between the lens and the cornea while she was washing her face with the contact lenses still in place.
The infection progressed faster than expected. As the parasite severely damaged the corneal tissue, a perforation eventually formed in the cornea. To prevent further damage, doctors performed surgery to stitch her right eyelid shut. She is currently receiving treatment with eye drops administered six times every two hours, and she is also expected to need a corneal transplant in the future.
Emma recalled the ordeal, saying, "My eye hurt so much that I couldn't even open it when light hit it." She added, "I have given birth to three children, but compared with this pain, childbirth felt like a dream." She continued, "The doctors were amazed at how quickly the parasite was eating away at my cornea and nerves," and said, "I had to stay in a dark room for weeks and couldn't do anything on my own."
She has been told that she may permanently lose vision in one eye.
Through this experience, she has urged contact lens users to be more careful.
Emma said, "At the optician, they explain that you should not shower or swim while wearing contact lenses, but I never took the risk seriously." She added, "The problem was not the lenses themselves, but me, the wearer, not knowing how to care for them properly." She emphasized, "Until you experience it yourself, it is easy to underestimate the importance of eye care, but a small lapse can lead to losing your sight for life."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
