A personal trainer has been left partially-blind after getting a bacterial infection in her eye from her contact lenses.
Laura Hawkins had been travelling across Australia when she woke up one morning in 'excruciating pain' and unable to open her right eye. The 24-year-old had to be driven to hospital to see an ophthalmologist, who found a large corneal ulcer on her eye.
She was told that without treatment, she could have been left fully blind. She now has scarring and partial blindness in her right eye and will now need a corneal transplant.
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Laura had arrived in Australia with a working visa in December 2019 and had planned to travel for six months before moving permanently to work there. Three months into her travelling adventure, she was staying in a hostel in Fremantle, Perth, and had removed her contact lenses as normal on March 3, 2020, and put them in her make-up bag.
Laura woke up the next day with her right eye feeling sore and 'gunky' but thought it could be conjunctivitis, which she has previously suffered with before. Using eye drops from the pharmacist for conjunctivitis, Laura was surprised to find her eye getting worse over the course of the day and woke up the next morning in agony and unable to open her eye.
She got somebody to drive her straight to hospital, where they sent her to an ophthalmologist who found a large corneal ulcer on her eye. Laura said: "They said they had to treat it quickly because if they left it any longer, it could get way more severe and could even leave me blind."
Her contact lenses had been kept inside her make up bag and had unknowingly picked up bacteria. She said: "I'd been wearing contact lenses for a good few years before this and never had any problem, but I also didn't know the risk of wearing them."
Laura started wearing glasses when she was 10 and made the switch to contact lenses when she was 16. She continued: "I always cleaned my hands before and after putting the contact lenses in, I used the saline solution as you're supposed to and put the pot into my make up bag sealed shut.
"I just woke up one morning and I couldn't physically open my eye. Even just a tiny bit of light getting in my eye would feel like a burning or stabbing pain.
"I'd never actually stayed in a hospital before and then I was in for a week with my eye with nobody to come see me. The time difference was pretty bad as well so I could barely talk to my family."
Laura was forced to sit terrified as doctors scraped bacterial cells from her eye for testing after enduring a course of strong painkillers and eye drops. Since doctors advised the hostel was not the cleanest environment to stay in whilst recovering from an infection, she went to stay with her nan’s friend who luckily lives in western Australia for a couple of weeks to recover.
Laura now has permanent scarring and partial blindness on her right eye and has just been referred for a corneal transplant on the NHS. Laura claimed that she didn’t know the risks before getting her contact lenses years earlier.
She said: "Anyone can get contact lenses at your eye test, and I just think there should be more pre-warning when you get given them that things like this can happen as this was so bad. What the doctors think happened is that either I scratched my eye taking the lenses out or the contact lens itself was contaminated."
Specsavers clinical services director, Giles Edmonds, says: "It’s important that good hygiene is always followed when handling contact lenses. You wouldn’t put something dirty into your mouth so why would you do the same with your eyes?
"Clean, dry hands should always be used when putting in and taking out lenses and always rub, rinse and store your lenses in the recommended solution. You need to be mindful of where you store your lens case too as it can easily pick up bacteria in its surroundings which can result in red eyes, irritation or even infection.
"For example, if you keep your lenses in a makeup bag, which is a breeding ground for bacteria, always be sure to wash your hands after opening the case and before handling your lenses. Don't forget to clean your case regularly too as advised by your optician.
"To keep your eyes healthy, you should also apply your lenses before putting on make-up. Contact lens wearers shouldn't use tap water or any other water on your lenses or case and should remove lenses before going in the shower or swimming to also reduce the risk of bacteria getting into the eye."
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