A woman in the US lost vision in one eye due to a rare parasite infection that developed after she went swimming with her contact lenses on. 23-year-old Brooklyn McCasland was visiting Alabama with her friends in August when she contracted the parasite acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) – an amoeba that can damage the cornea and cause vision loss. “This infection mimics other common infections so at the time I was put on steroids and a handful of other drops,” Ms McCasland explained on a GoFundMe page created to help her pay her medical bills. 

Ms McCasland said that the delay in diagnosing the rare infection caused it to worsen. “I was in the most pain I’ve ever experienced and eventually went fully blind in my right eye,” she said. 

The 23-year-old said she was seeing an eye doctor every two days and was referred to different eye specialists as she sought an answer for the pain and vision loss. When she got her results back that confirmed that she had AK, she said she was told she could possibly go permanently blind or lose her eye if she didn’t start treatment immediately. 

“Because this infection is so rare, the drops that are used for treatment are only made in the UK. Luckily, the doctor’s office in Dallas had a couple of samples so I could start treatment as soon as possible,” Ms McCasland said. 

Ms McCasland needs to put drops in her eyes every 30 minutes because “it is such a slow healing process”. “I’m thankful that we know exactly what it is and I’m able to start the correct treatment,” she said. “If I would have known that from not swimming in my contacts I could’ve avoided all of this pain, I would have never done it.”

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According to Cleveland Clinic, acanthamoeba keratitis infections are rare, with an estimated 1,500 infections in the US annually, however, contact lens wearers make up a whopping 90% of those cases. The clinic explains that wearing contacts for too long, improperly storing or cleaning them, and wearing them while swimming or showering can increase your risk of contracting the parasite. 

For Ms McCasland, her struggle is far from over as she shared in an update that a recent visit to the doctor confirmed that the infection “looked not completely worse but not better than last time”. “There is a possibility I will need to get a cornea transplant once we get rid of the infection. This could take months but I’m thankful that we know exactly what it is. I hope my journey will help prevent anyone else from going through this,” McCasland said.