Beware of Dirty Contact Lens - A Girl Nearly Goes Blind

Student narrowly avoids blindness following gruesome eye infection — parasite grew on dirty contact lens and ATE THROUGH HER EYE

Ashley Hyde, 18, contracted an acanthamoeba infection in her left eye after failing to change her lenses regularly. Doctors had to drill into the Florida high school student's eye and take scrapings from the eyeball.

Ashley Hyde's eyes was red and throbbing but doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong.

A Florida high school senior is lucky to have her vision after a parasite grew on her contact lens and ate through her eye.

Ashley Hyde, 18, contracted an acanthamoeba infection in her left eye after failing to change her lenses regularly.

Doctors were initially mystified as to the cause of the Pembroke Pines resident's inflammation and blurred vision.

 And so they had to drill into her eye and take scrapings from the eyeball.

They soon discovered the microscopic parasite - found in water and soil - had latched onto and spread across the lens.

"They did multiple cultures where they scrape your eye. One time, they had to drill into my eye. It was really nasty," Hyde told Local10.
 She's now booked in for months of treatment, which medics hope will clear up the condition once and for all.

Optometric physician Dr Adam Clarin said it was a lesson for people to change their lenses every day.

"Every day, we see people come in with contact lens related to infections, complications, ulcers. These are all things that are potentially blinding," Clarin added.