An eye-eating virus feeds on a 19-year-old girl. The case was discovered by Jessica Greaney, when she called the doctor for the first time after the discomfort she had been experiencing in her eye.
Eye-eating virus fed on 19-year-old young man – Photo: Reproduction/Unsplash/ND
Until she went to the doctor in 2015, the young British woman had no idea that a parasite, an eye-eating virus, was living in her cornea. However, the consequences were much worse than she could imagine.
The symptoms were getting worse and her friends decided to take her to the hospital to see what would happen. The first diagnosis was an ulcer.
“I felt like there was something in my eye, because it kept closing all the time,” said the young woman.
After a week of treatment for an eye ulcer, she underwent other tests. After tests, doctors identified the real problem.
What is the eye-eating virus
Jéssica had amoebic keratitis, a disease caused by the protozoan parasite Acanthamoeba Keratitis.
This organism is a type of amoeba found in aquatic environments such as freshwater, moist soil, and even in swimming pools, hot tubs, and contaminated contact lenses.
When Acanthamoeba gets into the eyes, usually through contact with contaminated water, it can cause an infection in the cornea, which is the clear layer at the front of the eye.
Symptoms of Acanthamoeba Keratitis can include eye redness, severe pain, sensitivity to light, blurred vision and the sensation of having a foreign body in the eye.
Treatment of Acanthamoeba Keratitis can be challenging and usually involves the use of specific antifungal, antibiotic or antiviral eye drops or ointments to combat the amoeba. In more serious cases, oral medications or surgical procedures may be necessary to remove infected tissue from the cornea.
Preventing Acanthamoeba Keratitis involves proper hygiene practices such as washing your hands before handling contact lenses, avoiding contact with untreated water while wearing contact lenses, and following contact lens cleaning and storage instructions correctly.
How did a young woman become infected?
Jessica shared with BBC London that the infection is more prevalent in people who wear contact lenses, as the protozoan responsible for the infection can be found in water. When the lens comes into contact with contaminated water and is then placed in the eye, the protozoan can lodge there.
She describes the process as the protozoan attaching itself to the eye and beginning to cause damage, which results in severe pain.
Even though she was meticulous about cleaning her lenses, Jessica realized that she still ran the risk of contamination by leaving them in the sink in her room.
She advises against swimming or showering with contact lenses, emphasizing that the risks are not worth it.
After following a rigorous treatment for four days, Jessica experienced significant improvement. She no longer feels pain and her vision has improved, but she still needs to apply eye drops several times a day to ensure her eye health.
Despite the frequency of eye drops, Jessica considers it a significant reduction compared to the treatment before the improvement.
