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The beautiful days are approaching and the prospect of swimming is more and more exciting. But be careful if you wear contact lenses: the sea, the ocean, lakes and even tap water should encourage you to be careful.
Don’t swim with your lenses!
In contact with the eyes of contact lens wearers, this 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 feces but also in these waters. Journalist Marie-Sophie Lacarrau was a victim in early 2002. We then interviewed Professor Antoine Brézin, head of the ophthalmology department at Cochin hospital in Paris.
What is amoebic keratitis?
“It is a pathology which generally affects the eye unilaterally, of infectious origin. first of all indicates Professor Brézin, head of the ophthalmology department at Cochin hospital in Paris. “It almost exclusively affects contact lens wearers due to lens miswearing, in almost all cases. This can be cleaning with tap water, swimming in fresh water…”.
The amoeba, which is a parasite found in tap water or fresh lake water, will then develop between the cornea and the lens, which acts like a “bandage” which slows down the feeling of symptoms. “Damages are parasites, their action is sneaky because they quickly attack the eye and are quite difficult to eradicate, some keratitis takes months to heal..
What are the symptoms and treatment of amoebic keratitis?
“A patient suffering from keratitis will present with a red, painful eye with a reduction in visual acuity, secondarily, but also photophobia, that is to say 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 a hospital pharmacy. 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 which have had time to significantly damage the eye, after-effects, such as reduced visual acuity, may remain. still exposes Antoine Brézin.
For contact lens wearers, remember that:
- You must wash your hands thoroughly before handling them, putting them on and taking them off;
- You should not sleep with your contact lenses;
- They should always be cleaned with their specific product and never with tap water;
- You should avoid swimming or showering with contact lenses.