SAGINAW, Mich. – About 34 million Americans wear contact lenses, but experts say many of them are unknowingly making a critical mistake.
It was summer of 2010, and Judi Shinners of Saginaw, Mich., thought she might have gotten some poison ivy in her eye.
"I had like a watery eye, and it was itchy and bothersome," said Shinners. "I called my eye doctor, went in to see him, and he looked and examined me and couldn't really tell what was going on."
The drops he prescribed didn't help, so Shinners saw a specialist who prescribed a different medicine. But she kept getting worse.
"It was about 3 weeks, and I was just beside myself. I was in a lot of pain. I was very light sensitive, and I went back to her and said 'I just can't stand it anymore.'"
The doctor recommended Shinners see a specialist at the University of Michigan's Kellogg Eye Center in Ann Arbor.
Tests revealed Shinners had a parasite in her eye. She was diagnosed with acanthamoeba keratitis, a devastating eye infection caused by an organism called acanthamoeba. Left untreated, the parasite burrows into the cornea of the eye, causing vision loss.
The thought was horrifying.
"I did not wanna think about some organism swimming around in my eye," said Shinners. "The worst case scenario would be that I wouldn't get my vision back."
Dr. Shahzad Mian is a cornea specialist at the Kellogg Eye Center. He said experts have seen more of these infections in recent years.
"Patients who wear contact lenses are at the highest risk for being infected with this parasite," said Mian. "They can certainly result in blindness and even loss of the eye if there is not proper treatment."
Acanthamoeba is found water and soil. So how did the parasite get into Shinner's eyes? Unlike many contact lens wearers, she was incredibly careful.
"I used to wear the contacts that I changed every two weeks. And I would boil my contact lens case every two weeks when I changed contacts," said Shinners.
But there was one rule Shinners didn't know. She routinely wore her contacts in the shower, in the swimming pool and even around the pond in her own backyard, where her grandchildren like to play. Any of those water sources could have exposed her to the parasite.
The Michigan Eye-Bank, which provides corneas for cornea transplant, says there are steps contact lens wearers can take to reduce the risk this infection.
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Always carefully wash and dry your hands before handling lenses.
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Don't use tap water to rinse contact lenses or storage cases.
- Take lenses out before doing any activity involving water, including swimming, using a hot tub, and showering.
Mian said proper care and wear of contacts is essential to reduce all eye infections.
"The most common source of infection with contact lenses is if you don't use them properly, if you don't clean them and then sleep with them overnight," said Mian.
Shinners' recovery was difficult. It took more than a year of drops and medications.
"It was very painful. I was extremely light sensitive. I had to wear sunglasses in the house. I couldn't watch television. I couldn't read," said Shinners.
She gradually regained sight in her left eye, but can't wear contacts anymore.
"I never really cared to wear glasses, but I don't have any choice now."
Her warning for others -- don't think it can't happen to you.
"After going through what I went through, I would say be very careful with your contacts."
For more details on acanthamoeba keratitis, click here.
To learn more about the Kellogg Eye Center, click here.
To find out more about the Michigan Eye-Bank, click here.
For more information on the proper care and wear of contact lenses, click here.