World of the Bizarre

Girl kept awake for days by eye-eating bug

By T.K. Randall
May 24, 2015 ·  16 comments

The parasitic infection is believed to have come from a contact lens. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 Laitr Keiows The 18-year-old student, who had been suffering from the sensation that something was stuck in her eye, had been initially diagnosed with an eye ulcer until doctors were able to determine that it was actually a parasite that was eating away at her eyeball.

To stop her from going blind Jessica was required to administer special eye drops every half an hour, however to keep up with this routine it meant that she was unable to go to sleep at all for four whole days - an ordeal that would turn out to be exhausting.

"Four nights of not being able to sleep sounds like torture and it is," she said.

"It's really heartbreaking and hard to go through. There was a moment when I asked the doctor if I was ever going to get better, but it was really hard for them to say. "The infection, which is usually picked up from water, is likely to have entered her eye through her contact lenses which she had kept next to the sink in her bathroom.

To avoid such problems doctors typically recommend against wearing contact lenses when swimming or in the shower and to wash hands thoroughly before touching or handling them.

Fortunately for Jessica however her condition is now vastly improved.

"I wouldn't change a single second of my treatment because that's what made me get so much better," she said. "Although it's hard, it is worth it in the end because I'd rather go through four nights of not being able to sleep than not being able to see for the rest of my life."

Source: BBC News | Comments (16)

Tags: Eyes, Parasite