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Paramedic forced to have eye removed after getting rare infection - from his contact lens

Andrew Carthew had to have his eye removed after getting a rare infection - from his contact lens
Andrew Carthew had to have his eye removed after getting a rare infection - from his contact lens

A paramedic was forced to have his eye removed after contracting a life-threatening illness – from his contact lens.

Andrew Carthew, 59, assumed he had conjunctivitis when he woke up with a weepy eye in June last year, but it turned into excruciating pain and a sensitivity to bright light, prompting him to seek emergency medical help.

Andrew, who wore prescribed lenses for five years, was initially told he had an eye infection but a month later was diagnosed with the rare but serious eye infection ‘Acanthamoeba Keratitis’.

The bacteria, which affects one in 50,000 contact lens wearers, is commonly found in tap water, rivers and soil and can lead to permanent sight loss.

Contact lens wearers are at risk of getting the infection if they clean their lenses or cases in tap water, or if they swim, shower or bathe while wearing them – Andrew didn’t do any of this but experts believe the disease may have been transferred via contamination on his finger.

Andrew Carthew had to have an eye removed after getting a rare infection - from his contact lens
Risk – contact lens wearers are at risk of getting the infection (Picture: Getty)

Months of treatment to save his sight included overnight stays in hospital and an emergency cornea transplant in early November. But the devastating infection returned after Christmas and progressed towards the back of Andrew’s eye.

By Easter it had become life-threatening and doctors had no choice but to remove the eye in May.

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Andrew, from Wadebridge, Cornwall, said: “My consultant said that I was the first person to have lost my eye because of what happened for 15 years.

“You wouldn’t believe that an eye infection could be so debilitating. The pain is absolutely shocking with it.”

Andrew Carthew had to have an eye removed after contracting a rare infection - from his contact lens
Warning – Andrew wants to raise awareness of the dangers of wearing contact lenses (Picture: SWNS)

Although the operation meant that Andrew had to retire as a paramedic, he is now trying to raise awareness of the infection that typically affects contact lens wearers.

“I just want to bring this in the open so people are aware of what a terrible disease it is really and easily it can affect you.

“We all go through life putting our contact lenses in and thinking their wonderful but it can change.

“I loved them and they were so easy, but looking back, the education on proper care and any information on what could happen was really poor.

“I think opticians need to tell people what could happen and that infections are likely and in my case severe infections are rare but they can happen.”

(Top picture: SWNS)