Contact lens-related eye infection puts UK woman's vision at risk

A 25-year-old woman from the United Kingdom, Steph Carrasco, had a frightening experience that nearly cost her eyesight because of her contact lenses.

At first, she thought the itchiness in her eye was just a normal irritation from the lenses. However, when she went to see her eye doctor, she found out that she had a severe bacterial infection. Her optometrist, Jack Brenton, quickly understood the seriousness of the situation and sent her to a specialist eye hospital.

Steph’s vision was in bad shape, and she spent a week in the hospital undergoing treatment, which involved using 72 eye drops every day to try and reduce the size of the ulcer.

Steph, who works as a recruitment consultant in Cardiff, UK, shared her scary experience and said, “When I got to the hospital, I could hardly see. It was really scary. Fortunately, Jack and the team were amazing. He didn’t let me leave the Specsavers store until he had sorted everything out with the hospital. He kept me calm during a very stressful time. He acted quickly and thoroughly, and I can’t thank him enough.”

Despite getting 72 eye drops each day, Steph’s corneal ulcer didn’t get better, so the medical team decided to perform a cornea transplant. After three weeks, her vision improved, and she should be fully recovered by October, allowing her to go back to work. While she was in the hospital, she learned from the medical staff that her infection was so severe that she could have lost her eyesight if it hadn’t been treated promptly.

Steph added, “It’s easy to ignore health problems, but this experience has taught me to never take my eyesight for granted. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had Jack and the hospital team there when I needed them the most.”

Meanwhile, Jack Brenton, the optometrist at the Specsavers branch in Cardiff Queen Street, emphasized the urgency of the situation. He explained that the aggressive bacteria in Steph Carrasco’s eye needed immediate attention, and he was relieved that they sent her to the hospital promptly. While Steph is on the road to recovery, it’s expected that her vision will return to normal within a month.

According to information from the NHS, as reported by the Daily Mail, corneal ulcers can be a severe condition that might result in permanent vision loss. However, they can be treated with antibiotics or antifungal eye drops. People who wear contact lenses are at a higher risk of developing this infection, especially if they wear them overnight, where the risk is ten times higher.