Influencer loses sight in one eye after showering with her contact lenses in. How can we avoid such a tragedy?

American influencer Rachel Prochnow has spoken out about the tragedy that struck her in 2023. Last year, she contracted an eye infection after showering with her contact lenses in. She suffered from amoebic keratitis (Acanthamoeba Kerititas), which left her blind in one eye.

“No ophthalmologist had ever warned me of this risk”

“On July 3, 2023, I was diagnosed with Acanthamoeba Kerititas, a parasite that destroys the cornea. I contracted it while showering with my contacts in Austin, Texas. I had been wearing contacts since I was 12 years old and no eye doctor I had ever seen told me not to shower, swim, or hot tub with my contacts in.” admits the influencer in a post and a video viewed more than 64 million times.

She specifies the origin of this infection.Contact lenses create tiny cracks in your cornea. They’re so small that you don’t notice them. But when water containing acanthamoeba gets between your lens and your eye, these amoebas latch onto these tiny cracks, burrow into your cornea, and begin to destroy it. Unfortunately, acanthamoeba is present in all water sources (except boiled water), so you’re at risk if you wear contact lenses and water gets into your eye.“.

After three months of treatment, she overcame the infection but lost sight in her right eye. She underwent a corneal transplant that will allow her to partially recover her sight. She returns to this personal tragedy to raise awareness among contact lens wearers about this little-known risk.

Don’t swim with your lenses in!

In contact with the eyes of contact lens wearers, bathing water, swimming pool water, river water, jacuzzi water or tap water can promote the occurrence of infectious keratitis. This inflammation of the cornea can be caused by different pathogens: viruses, fungi or bacteria.

Contact lens wearers are more frequently exposed to amoebic keratitis, caused by parasites present in fecal matter but also in these waters. The journalist Marie-Sophie Lacarrau was a victim of this in early 2002. We then interviewed Professor Antoine Brézin, head of the ophthalmology department at Cochin Hospital in Paris.

Amoebic keratitis puts your eyesight at risk!

Professor Brézin, head of the ophthalmology department at Cochin Hospital in Paris, points out that this is a “pathology that affects the eye unilaterally, generally of infectious origin. It almost exclusively affects contact lens wearers due to misuse of the lenses, in almost all cases. This can be cleaning with tap water, swimming in fresh water, etc..”.

The amoeba is a parasite found in tap water or fresh water from lakes. It will develop between the cornea and the lens, which acts as a “band-aid” that slows down the feeling of symptoms.The abysses are parasites, their action is sneaky because they attack the eye quickly and are quite difficult to eradicate, some keratitis takes months to heal” precooks our expert.

Symptoms and treatment of amoebic keratitis

“A patient suffering from keratitis will present with a red, painful eye with a decrease in visual acuity, secondarily, but also photophobia, i.e. an intolerance to light.” explains the specialist.

“In the emergency room, when a patient presents with keratitis, amoebic keratitis should always be suspected. Everything will then depend on the extent of the infection, but amoebic keratitis must be treated in a special way, with eye drops specially prepared in hospital pharmacies.” specifies Professor Brézin.

The earlier amoebic keratitis is treated, the better the recovery.Affected patients go through a few complicated weeks, but if they consult early enough, it can be treated quite well. Unfortunately, in severe forms that have had time to significantly degrade the eye, after-effects, such as reduced visual acuity, may remain.” Antoine Brézin also explains.

For contact lens wearers, remember that:

• You must wash your hands well before handling them, putting them on and taking them off;
• You should not sleep with your contact lenses in;
• They should always be cleaned with their specific product and never with tap water;
• Bathing or showering with contact lenses should be avoided.