Acanthamoeba keratitis - Corneal Ulcer

wuffly

Not looking for medical advice just wondering if anyone on here has had this and how the recovery went?

Dr hasn't confirmed it is or isn't, he is treating for bacterial ulcer as well as for the parasite.

Looking like i have picked it up from swimming with my contacts in (only a recent thing as I was in the pool with my 1yr old) and also not getting medical advice quick enough, although i did get new glasses the week before i ended up in a&e and my optician didn't mention it other than to tell me to use tear drops and give the contacts a break for a week.

Anyway googling is not helping my peace of mind!

wuffly

Just in case anyone else comes across this and is looking for some info. Mods feel free to delete if its not ok.

I am about a month into treatment now, pain is way down as is the light sensitivity. The ulcer itself has calmed down a huge amount and the vascularisation is almost completely gone. The central part has not begun to heal yet but my Dr is hopeful that the damage is not too deep and that it can heal with minimal scarring and that I can get most of the sight back

I'm being treated with chlorhexidine (which seems to be one of the most effective treatments) and antibiotic drops and taking antibiotic, anti viral and anti fungal tablets. Basically throwing the whole kitchen sink at it.

There is a great FB group with people from all over the world. It can be a little daunting as a lot of the chat is about corneal transplants. Lots of support and info sharing. Definitely worth joining even if you just read a bit.

Veloce

Just wondering how you are doing now wuffly?

I had a suspected case earlier last year which turned out not to be Acanthamoeba but bacterial.

wuffly

Veloce wrote: »

Just wondering how you are doing now wuffly?

I had a suspected case earlier last year which turned out not to be Acanthamoeba but bacterial.

I'd forgotten I'd started this thread!
I literally got the all clear two weeks ago.
It was a long painful road that I wasn't expecting. It took the guts of 6 months of regular drops to fully clear the acanthameoba and at that it may be dormant but my dr is confident its gone. (as its single cell its very difficult/almost impossible to test for) but i'm symptom free which is the best indicator. In November i had cataract surgery for a pre-existing cataract and one caused by the treatment and now have pretty good vision in the eye (no reading vision as the lens can't do both which is standard as far as i know) there is some scarring that couldn't be removed but its pretty good and I don't need lenses or glasses for distance any more. I followed up with laser on my left eye so at the moment i don't need any glasses or lens, which is great, first time in 20years.

Going by my FB group I am on the extremely lucky end of the scale, there are a few people that have lost their eye to this thing and so many that have had corneal transplants and have been off work for long periods. So one relatively small surgery and eye drops for a few months pale in comparison.

Its hard to diagnose and treat and hard to find information on.

Glad to hear yours was bacterial, I hope you've fully recovered.

Veloce

Glad to hear you're on the mend wuffly. It sounds like a long road to recovery.

I was a chronic daily disposable contact lense wearer until I read up about It Akanthamoeba Keratitis when I had my bacterial infection. I'm now wearing them much less and also taking extra caution when i do.

The Ophthalmologist in the Mater hospital told me they have seen an increase in AK cases appearing in the last few years. Practically all of them contact lense wearers and a lot of the cases are attributable to showering, swimming or sleeping whilst wearing lenses. Daily disposables are apparently less risky than extended wear lenses.

As a rule of thumb - never mix water and contacts lenses, ensure your hands are completely dry when fitting them!

wuffly

Veloce wrote: »

Glad to hear you're on the mend wuffly. It sounds like a long road to recovery.

I was a chronic daily disposable contact lense wearer until I read up about It Akanthamoeba Keratitis when I had my bacterial infection. I'm now wearing them much less and also taking extra caution when i do.

The Ophthalmologist in the Mater hospital told me they have seen an increase in AK cases appearing in the last few years. Practically all of them contact lense wearers and a lot of the cases are attributable to showering, swimming or sleeping whilst wearing lenses. Daily disposables are apparently less risky than extended wear lenses.

As a rule of thumb - never mix water and contacts lenses, ensure your hands are completely dry when fitting them!

It seems to be massively on the increase there were about 400 of us on the fb group when i joined back in may now its over 1000. The majority are contact lens wearers. Several contracted it through contaminated lens solution.
I myself was very guilty of over wearing my lens, and never knew swimming and showering with them was a no no. Aside from AK swimming in a chlorinated pool with lens in is like putting chlorine sponges in your eyes.

I wore goggles in the shower for 8 months, and couldn't swim. My right cornea is very thin. The main reason I went with the laser on the left was to reduce the risk of AK getting in there and getting cosy again.

The treatment is very experimental, my treatment with chlorhexidine was diluted hospital disinfectant. Others are on similar disinfectant type treatments, there are not enough studies for a standard treatment and actual medical treatment.

I had my cornea scraped in the first week and it was the most painful experience of my life(and i've had a baby drug free!)

The risks really aren't highlighted enough.

Arbie

There have been several threads about this but the most memorable/frustrating was this one from exactly a year ago: https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057706180/

Contact lenses are great when used safely, but they are medical devices that sit on one of the most sensitive and vulnerable parts of the body.

Removing lenses for 15 minutes when in the shower or using prescription goggles when swimming are very small inconveniences that can prevent pain and blindness.

Thanks for highlighting this issue.