The case of Grace Jamison, 20, an American student, shows how a rare eye infection caused by a parasite can lead to temporary blindness. The young lady temporarily lost her sight due to poor hygiene while wearing contact lenses.
@gracejamisonn Part of my reality after going blind… this still happens. Please use proper contact care so you don’t end up like me! God bless you all 🙏🏼💐❤️ #blind #blindness #eyes #contactlenses #acanthamoeba
♬ cry – favsoundds
The woman has been diagnosed with Acanthamoeba keratitis, a dangerous eye condition caused by Acanthamoeba parasites that penetrate the corneal tissue. According to Jamison, they are “little amoeba parasites that get embedded into your corneas.”
While visiting the Dominican Republic, Grace Jamison showered with her lenses on. In the Dominican Republic, tap water is not thoroughly purified and therefore contains the parasite.
“I was living in the Dominican Republic, and I showered with my contacts in, and the water there is not very clean,” Jamison said. “It had Acanthamoeba in it, and I got it. And that’s that. It is what it is.”
Upon returning to the US, she went to the hospital where the problem was first misdiagnosed, and steroid eye drops were prescribed. They only worsened her situation, and within a week, the woman had gone completely blind.
However, another physician correctly diagnosed the problem, and an anti-parasitic therapy regimen was prescribed. The young lady regained partial vision and can now see only through her left eye.
Acanthamoeba keratitis is a long-lasting and difficult-to-treat illness. Grace Jamison should undergo a series of procedures during which she needs to apply eye drops every half hour or every hour. Some of them are chlorhexidine and pool cleaning products.
“Acanthamoeba is very hard to treat. My treatment is gonna take about six months to a year, and then I’m gonna have to have additional treatment after that from the scarring and damage that it caused to my eyes,” Jamison shared.
Symptoms associated with the infection are extremely painful. “There’s a lot of eye pain, there’s a lot of pain in your head, and it goes everywhere,” she said. “It causes blindness, cloudiness in your vision. It’s really hard to sleep, it causes a lot of light sensitivity, and it is very, very hard to live with,” the woman stated.
Nevertheless, the young lady has been recovering from the problem. “My eyes are looking a lot better than they did before”. Jamison revealed reduced redness, irritation, and visible cloudiness.
Since learning about the eye infection, Jamison has used her social media accounts to educate others on the importance of maintaining good hygiene while wearing contact lenses.
Jamison urged lens wearers to avoid showering, swimming, or sleeping while wearing contacts, and to wash their hands and change solution after every use.
“It is the small and simple things that we are asked to do that are so important to take care of your eyes,” she said. “A lot of people, and I included, take vision for granted, and how important and amazing it is that we can see.”
Grace Jamison added an important statement for everyone else using contact lenses: “Please wash your hands before you take them out or put them in. Please clean out your solution and change it every time you use your contacts. Don’t sleep in them, don’t swim in them, don’t shower in them.”
@gracejamisonn My story of how I’m going blind and how I got Acanthameoba. Please take care of your contacts and never take your sight for granted. Thank you for all of your prayers and support! Jesus loves you! 🫶🏼❤️ For those asking here’s my Venmo: @Grace-Jamison #blind #blindness #eyes #acanthamoebakeratitis #contactlenses
♬ original sound – Grace Jamison
Acanthamoeba lives in numerous natural environments, such as freshwater, well water, shower water, dust, and soil. Everyone could be exposed to the parasite, but contact lens wearers often neglect hygienic practices and are at risk of infection.
