A widespread mistake while swimming to guilty

The New York lifeguard lost his sight after infection of a rare amoebic infection caused by a widespread error that many people made while swimming. For all people wearing contact lenses, this is a key warning – they always remove lenses before entering the water to avoid serious risk.

Maureen Cronin, a 53-year-old rescuer and swimming instructor, can no longer continue working after losing eye inflammation Acanthamoeba, a rare infection caused by parasites burying her cornea and permanent damage to the right eye.

From June last year, Cronin gave children swimming to children in her pool in the yard, but never removed contact lenses during the session.

“I didn’t know about it [that you shouldn’t wear them] But I had my contacts and took off the goggles and showed them how to go under water and how cool it was – she he said.

Signs of infection began with eye irritation during one of her swimming sessions, which Cronin describes as feeling as if she “had a piece of sand” in her eye. However, discomfort soon turned into a “excruciating” pain. Then she consulted with a doctor who prescribed eye drops, but the symptoms persisted. After a few Incorrect diagnosesFirst as cornering of the cornea, and then with herpes infection, it finally turned out that in August last year she had corner inflammation Acanthamoeba (AK).

Cronin underwent a corneal transplant in the next month, but her body rejected the procedure, leaving it completely blind in the right eye. When he is waiting for the second transplant in the hope of restoring his vision, he is afraid of the result. “It seems that it never ends and I’m nervous,” she said.

“AK is not well known and is often badly diagnosed. I would say that everyone who wears contact lenses should not wear them near the water reservoir. Do not wear them even when it rains, “she added.

Contact care is at the highest risk of developing corneal inflammation Acanthamoeba, which is at least 90% of cases. Infection often occurs due to combinations factorsSuch as wearing contacts for too long, improper storage and not proper cleaning of lenses or storage. In addition, wearing contact lenses while swimming or showers or using contaminated items related to contact lens, such as cases or solutions, also increases the risk.