VIDEO: Woman losing eyesight after storing contact lens in tap water

[Janice]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...6pLid%3D389244

Amoeba Infection Threatens Woman's Sight After She Used Tap Water To Store Contact Lenses

The above video shows the story.

How many times have you let your basic contact lens hygiene slide, not doing things like washing your hands before handling your lenses, using tap water instead of saline solution or sleeping in your lenses?

During a busy week at work, a woman named Erin was out of contact lens solution but didn't have time to buy any, so she used tap water to store her contact lenses.
That would soon prove to be a mistake: She contracted a rare amoeba infection that began to attack her cornea.

"The pain was excruciating," she told Dr. Travis Stork on The Doctors. She went to the ER, where doctors thought she had a simple eye infection and prescribed her a steroid. However, after the pain still did not go away, she visited an optometrist who realized that she had an amoeba infection.

"The steroid was, in fact, hiding the infection," she said. "It was keeping my sight but it was actually feeding the amoeba, via the steroid, making it stronger."
Stork noted that steroids can actually be detrimental in cases like this, because they make it harder for the body to fight off the infection.

[Family Ties Forever!]

Wow, that is really scary. I'm sorry to hear that she is losing her vision because of that. Such a sad thing to lose your eyesight.

[OH Nuts!]

Very scary story. I always had a hard time with contacts. I'd have to use lots of drops and they made me very presbyoptic (needed reading glasses which I never did when I wore regular glasses.). The contacts really tired my eyes. Once rimless frames really came out, I saw how good they looked. So now I just where glasses only.
Also a co-worker once got a bad case of conjunctivitis from wearing her contacts.

[Janice]

I feel so bad for that woman. She's going to live with regret for the rest of her life. My husband got a very bad infection in his eyes from wearing contacts. I made sure he had every thing he needed and bought only the best products. Still, he got lazy about caring for his lenses when he was tired. I think he wore the lens for too long. He's lucky he didn't lose his vision.

Getting lasik surgery was great for him. No more contact lenses.

[gidgetgrape]

How terrible! I feel bad for her. I knew someone who rinsed their eye out with tap water and got a bad infection that led to permanent scarring.

[Family Ties Forever!]

Because my eyes are so sensitive and my corneas have so much nerve damage from the Glaucoma I use special eye drops.

I could never wear contacts because I have massive cornea scarring on both corneas from the Glaumoma, eye surgeries, infections, etc. In my case it couldn't be prevented.

Originally Posted by Janice

I feel so bad for that woman. She's going to live with regret for the rest of her life. My husband got a very bad infection in his eyes from wearing contacts. I made sure he had every thing he needed and bought only the best products. Still, he got lazy about caring for his lenses when he was tired. I think he wore the lens for too long. He's lucky he didn't lose his vision.

Getting lasik surgery was great for him. No more contact lenses.

That's great that Lasik surgery worked for Lou.

Originally Posted by gidgetgrape

How terrible! I feel bad for her. I knew someone who rinsed their eye out with tap water and got a bad infection that led to permanent scarring.

Wow, so many things say that if [whatever product] gets in eyes rinse with water. I can only imagine how many people have done that.

If you get shampoo in your eyes in the shower it's the same thing, you have to rinse them with water.

[andress_jade]

I wear glasses myself and even though they are a pain in so many ways, I actually prefer them over contacts any day of the week. I have read so many horror stories about people and their contacts and that's another reason I won't wear them. My eyes are very sensitive anyway and I can't really wear them which to me, is a good thing. I hope someday to get eye surgery so I can see again and do away with my glasses.

[ponytail]

I prefer glasses. I too have heard of too many horror stories about contacts. One being a lady said her contact slipped to the side of her eye and she couldn't work it around, she ended up going to the doctor and he got it out.