Last week, the Global Alliance Against Acanthamoeba Keratitis released a white paper outlining recommendations to raise awareness of prevention, treatment and patient care surrounding acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), a condition associated with poor contact lens wearing.
Who is The Global Alliance Against AK?
The Global Alliance Against AK is a collaboration of diverse stakeholders that includes patients, clinicians, researchers, industry and regulators. Fight for Sight is a contributing member of the alliance to offer impartial insight from a charity perspective throughout the process.
AK is a rare but serious eye infection of the cornea, the clear surface or window at the front of the eye. It can lead to permanent sight loss if not treated early.
Although AK is a rare disease, it’s been estimated that:
-
- 90%
- of AK cases could be avoided
-
- 85%
- of AK cases in high-income countries occurs in contact lens wearers
Why has the paper been released?
The paper aims to create greater awareness of AK among clinicians, researchers and regulators, in the hope of improving patient outcomes, and includes recommendations on improving public awareness of how to use contact lenses safely.
How can you reduce your risk of AK as a contact lens wearer?
The good news is that AK can be prevented through proper contact lens use. Another key way to reduce your risk is to switch to daily disposables, if you don’t already use them.
Wearing reusable lenses can mean you’re nearly four times as likely to develop AK, so switching can reduce your risk, but even with dailies there are still some simple guidelines you need to follow:
- Remove contact lenses before sleeping.
- Replace contact lenses regularly, according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Remove contact lenses before any activity involving contact with water including showering, swimming, or using a hot tub. If you must use contact lenses when swimming, use goggles and replace the lenses with new lenses after the swim. These measures have not been shown to be as safe as not using contact lenses at all but are likely to reduce the risk.
- Always wash and dry your hands well before touching your eyes or handling lenses. AK is caused by bacteria in water, which are harmless to drink but can cause sight-threatening disease if they get into your eye, which can happen when you’re wearing contacts.
Find out more about how to look after your eye health.
Thinking of putting in contact lenses for Halloween?
Think again. With Halloween approaching, novelty lenses might be found in costume shops and market stalls – but selling these without a prescription is actually illegal, and usage can cause infections and damage to the cornea. What’s more, most of these vendors don’t provide advice on how to safely wear and care for the contact lenses.
Wearing these can carry a risk of developing AK, as well as conjunctivitis (an infection of the eye), corneal swelling, allergic reactions, corneal abrasion from poor lens fit and a reduction in vision.
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