I swam with my contact lenses in - now I'm blind in one eye

As a contact lens wearer, Jennie Hurst knew the importance of good hygiene to prevent eye infections. ‘I was meticulous about removing my lenses before bed and making sure I did so with clean hands,’ says the 28-year-old from Southampton.

 ‘I wore monthlies — where the lenses are removed each night and replaced once a month — but I was so conscious of getting an infection that I replaced them every two weeks. And I always cleaned them with contact lens cleaning solution, unlike some of my friends who’d run their lenses under the tap or even moisten them with saliva.’ 

Despite this, Jennie, who works as an environmental co-ordinator, is now blind in her left eye — the result of a vicious infection. The cause? Swimming while wearing her contact lenses, something she never realised put her at risk.

Jennie is one of a growing number of people — the majority of them young — suffering potentially devastating eye infections due to a lack of knowledge of the risks of contact lenses, say experts. In her case the problem is acanthamoeba keratitis, caused by an amoeba — a parasite found in almost all soil, fresh water and sea water. 

It thrives where limescale and bacteria are present, but contact lens wearers are at highest risk if they clean their lenses or lens cases in tap water, or if they swim, shower or bathe while wearing their lenses. 

 This means the parasite can become trapped between the lens and the eye, allowing it to burrow into the eyeball. Indeed, Jennie’s problems began after a quick swim in a hotel pool while on a break in the West Country last summer.

 ‘The irony is that I don’t even like swimming — I only did a few laps,’ says Jennie, who had worn contact lenses for five years at that point. ‘I had no idea of the dangers of swimming in lenses — my biggest concern was simply losing a lens in the pool. 'I remember getting some water in my eye, but thought nothing of it.

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