Swimming, hot tubbing, and showering – what do all three of these activities have in common?  If you wear contacts, the answer to this question is not necessarily Happy Fun Water Time.  Tap water, hot tub water, and the ocean can all harbor a little culprit known as Acanthamoeba, an amoeba (a microscopic, single celled animal) that is commonly found in sources of tap water. These amoebas are generally rare in humans, but they can make their home in the space between the eye and the contact lens where they form severe infections in the eye known as acanthamoeba keratitis.

Acanthamoeba keratitis is the disease from an Acanthamoeba infection that can lead to severe pain and eventually blindness. Some of the symptoms reported are red irritated eyes, sensitivity to light, cloudy vision, and that niggling sense that there’s a foreign object in the eye. In the beginning stages of Acanthamoeba Keratitis it can commonly mistaken for other diseases such as conjunctivitis (see our post on pink eye).  However, one of the primary differences is a white ring on the cornea in advanced stages of the infection.

Here’s an  Animal Planet clip that shows a little of what it’s like to have the infection:

As scary as it seems, don’t be alarmed – acanthamoeba keratitis is easily preventable. Just follow these simple guidelines that help prevent eye infection:

• Always wash your hands prior to handling your contact lenses.
• Never expose your contact lenses to tap water – this means no swimming or showering with them on, and of course no cleaning them or soaking them in tap water!
• Be sure to use the disinfecting solutions recommended by your doctor to properly clean the lenses daily.  Heat disinfection systems and hydrogen peroxide systems with at least two hours contact time are effective, but common chemical disinfectants are ineffective against acanthamoeba.  Also, don’t forget to clean and/or replace your lens case at least once a month.
• Be sure to follow directions when using your contacts. If it says dispose daily, do not reuse them!

Prevention is the best weapon against acanthamoeba keratitis, because once you’ve become infected, the ameoba is extremely resistant to antibiotics.  In fact, patients are commonly treated with FOUR anti-amoebic agents, one of which is ophthalmic-grade swimming pool cleaner, as disgusting as it may sound.  I know I don’t want to have to take pool-cleaner drops every hour, do you?   One of the best ways I can think of preventing such issues with contacts is to eliminate them altogether – why not come in for a free consultation for LASIK?  You’d be amazed at how many contact lens-wearing patients have come in for LASIK after experiencing a corneal ulcer – the pain was so unbearable that they never wanted to risk wearing contacts again.

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