ANI: LONDON: Millions of contact lens
users are at the mercy of a bug that is found in tap water and nibbles
through eyeballs causing blindness, scientists have warned.
With the Acanthamoeba parasite also found in
dust, sea, showers and swimming pools, millions of people are at risk of
going blind worldwide. The actual number of infections is small but
treatment is long, painful and not completely effective.
"It is a potential problem for every single
contact lens wearer," the Daily Mail quoted Fiona Henriquez, of the
University of the West of Scotland, as saying.
Acanthamoeba, a tiny single-celled parasite,
feeds on bacteria found on dirty contact lenses and cases. When the lens is
put in the eye, it starts to eat its way through the cornea and breeds as it
goes.
Symptoms are itchy and watery eyes, blurred
vision, sensitivity to light, swelling of the upper eyelid and extreme pain.
According to an optician, vision can be permanently damaged within a week.
Treatment includes Dettol-like eye drops, with patients initially being
treated every 20 minutes, and spending three weeks in hospital. The most
severe cases are given cornea transplants
( Courtesy: .
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ )
