Contact Lenses Cause An Ulcer On a 25-Year-Old Woman’s Cornea

(CTN News) – A 25-year-old British woman nearly lost her sight after developing an Lenses ulcer on her eye that doctors say was caused by her contact lenses.

In Steph Carrasco’s case, some itchiness in her eye prompted her to visit an eye doctor. According to a report in The Daily Mail, the Cardiff woman had chalked it up to simple irritation from her contact lenses.

Carrasco’s doctor discovered, however, that she had “aggressive bacteria” in her eye, which had caused her to develop an ulcer on her cornea, which is defined as the “clear window” in the front of the eye.

According to Cleveland Clinic, a corneal ulcer is a medical emergency since it is an open wound on the cornea that could lead to vision loss and blindness.

Carrasco spent one week in the hospital receiving 72 drops of antibiotics daily to reduce the size of the ulcer in his eye.

In the event that the ulcer did not shrink, she had to undergo an emergency Lenses corneal transplant.

This was an aggressive bacteria that required immediate treatment. I am pleased that we were able to get her into the hospital immediately, preventing the infection from progressing,” Optometrist Jack Brenton told The Daily Mail.

In the United States, about 12% of corneal transplants are performed due to ulcers, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Approximately 30,000 to 75,000 corneal ulcers occur in the United States each year, and contact lens wearers are ten times more likely to develop one.

It is 100 times more likely that you will develop a corneal Lenses ulcer if you sleep with your contacts in.

Wearing contacts for an extended period of time prevents oxygen from reaching the eyes. In addition, bacteria on the lens – transferred from your finger during insertion or from non-sterile cleaning solutions – can become trapped under the lenses,” the Cleveland Clinic states.

Although most corneal ulcers are caused by bacteria, the American Academy of Ophthalmology reports that they can also be caused by fungi, parasites, and viruses, as was the case with Carrasco’s ulcer. According to the report, time is not on your side when a large corneal ulcer is staring you in the face, regardless of its cause.

Carrasco, who hopes to be fully able to see by next month, was told by hospital medical staff that the bacteria in her eye was so harsh that if it had not been treated sooner, she would have completely lost her sight.

SEE ALSO:

A New Covid Vaccine Is Recommended As Infections Rise