Eye-Eating Amoeba Causes Blindness in Contact Lens Wearers

Contact lens wearers beware: scientists have warned that people who don't clean that lenses properly are at the mercy of a tap water-dwelling bug that can gnaw through eyeballs and cause blindness.

The Acanthamoeba parasite that can be found in tap water, rivers, ponds and lakes can also be found in showers and swimming pools.

You can read the original article by Christine-hsu published on medicaldialy.com

Scientists say while few people are aware of the Acanthamoeba parasite, millions of people are at risk from this eye-devouring amoeba, especially contact wearers who fail to thoroughly clean their lenses or keep them in a dirty risk. The parasite, which feeds on bacteria and corneal tissue, sticks to contact lenses and burrows it way through the eye's cornea, often causing acute pain. 

Scientists warned that in the most serious cases, the parasite has tunneled so far into the eye that it cannot be removed and blindness results. According to Fiona Henriquez, of the University of the West of Scotland "It is a potential problem for every single contact lens wearer".

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