Teenage girl nearly loses her sight after parasite grows on her contact lens and begins eating through her eye



A teenager has told how she almost lost her eyesight after a parasite grew on her contact lens and began eating through her cornea.

Ashley Hyde had to endure a procedure where an optician had to drill into her eye.



Scrapings from her eyeball were also taken as medical staff tried to find out why her left eye was left inflamed.

Infection: Ashley Hyde, 18, suffered an eye infection that almost left her blind due to her contact lenses

Doctors discovered Hyde, 18, had an acanthamoeba infection, Local10.com reported.



Acanthamoeba is a microscopic parasite found in water and soil that can spread through contact lens use, cuts, or skin wounds or by being inhaled into the lungs.

The parasite left the teen from Pembroke Pines, Florida, with blurred vision and repeated visits to the optician.



'They did multiple cultures where they scrape your eye,' she said. 'One time, they had to drill into my eye. It was really nasty.'

Painful: Ashley had to endure a procedure where doctors drilled into her eye to stop the bacteria

Attack: The bacteria was eating through her cornea, leaving her eye red and inflammed

Hydes has been told she must undergo months of treatment.

Dr. Adam Clarin, an optometric physician, said contact users should try to change their lenses daily.

'There is nothing safer or healthier than throwing out the lens every day and starting with a new one the next day,' said Clarin.



'Every day, we see people come in with contact lens related to infections, complications, ulcers,' he said.

Hidden danger: The bacteria is found in soil and water and is transferred by contact lenses

Recovery: Ashley will need to undergo months more treatment until her eye is back to its original health

'These are all things that are potentially blinding.'

Hyde said she wished she had changed her lenses regularly. 'It hurts,' she said. 'I wouldn't risk it.'