The young man who lost his eye
The infection forced him to give up his job and his hobbies, including socializing with friends
A man in Florida has been partially blinded after sleeping with contact lenses on. In the details of the terrifying story, Michael Krumholz, 21, a sports business administration student in Miami, told that he took a 40-minute nap while wearing his daily contact lenses in December. When he woke up, his left eye was red. He ignored it and just removed the lens, though. Over the following days, he slowly began to lose his sight and began to feel excruciating pain.
A month later, doctors finally diagnosed him with a flesh-eating bacterial infection known as acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), which can cause permanent and significant vision loss.
flesh-eating bacteria
And the young man can no longer see through his left eye except for the flickering “black and gray” colors, which he compares to a constant on television.
Doctors say he may only be able to regain 10% of his vision after a corneal transplant, but the patient told DailyMail.com he would only regain 1%.
The infection forced him to give up his job and his hobbies, including socializing with friends, playing basketball and working out in the gym.
He told DailyMail.com: “I’m 21 and I’ve been trying to find a sports management type job in my field, but it seems impossible to do so. Nowadays, there is no work, no social life.”
He also developed photosensitivity, meaning it was painful to be exposed to direct sunlight. The young man now spends most of his time in a closed room, wearing sunglasses.
The young man in his twenties used to wear contact lenses daily for about three years before the injury.
According to experts, what he contracted was a rare bacterial infection. The bacteria causing the infection are usually harmless and very common. They are found in lakes, streams, oceans, and soil. It can also access tap water and HVAC units. But when it gets into the eye through tiny tears and scrapes, it can cause an infection.
are at greater risk
Experts point out that everyone who wears contact lenses is at risk. But people who wear contact lenses at night are at a higher risk because they can lead to the development of the condition. It also deprives the cornea of oxygen at night – this is avoided during the day by blinking – which can reduce its ability to fight off bacterial infection.
Contact lens companies tell users not to wear lenses at night to reduce the risk. They also ask people to wash their hands when putting on or removing lenses, and to carry spare glasses.
After taking a nap on December 19, young Krumholz said his eyes began to feel uncomfortable. He told the Daily Star: “I felt like the lenses were floating in my eyes [بعد أن استيقظت من الغفوة]”So I took it off and nothing was wrong. The next morning, I got up, I went to play baseball, and I had to take it off right away.”
Doctors initially diagnosed it as the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) – which people can catch by touching their eyes. But despite treatment with antibiotics, the infection in his eye got worse. After that, five ophthalmologists and two corneal specialists finally examined his eye on January 21, and it was found to be infected with bacteria.