Acanthamoeba keratitis: Symptoms, treatment and how to avoid this parasitic eye disease
CNN••general
Key Points:
- Acanthamoeba keratitis is a rare but serious eye infection caused by a single-cell organism commonly found in water and soil, primarily affecting contact lens wearers and leading to severe pain, inflammation, and potential permanent vision loss if misdiagnosed or untreated.
- Diagnosis is challenging due to symptom overlap with other eye infections like pink eye or herpes simplex keratitis, and many optometrists lack awareness of the condition, resulting in frequent misdiagnoses and delayed specialist care.
- Prevention includes strict contact lens hygiene, avoiding water exposure while wearing lenses, using store-bought solutions instead of water, and considering alternatives like glasses or vision correction surgery to reduce infection risk.
- Treatment involves painful, long-term use of anti-amoebic eye
