MATT Flack thought he’d got grit in his eye when it go sore on holiday – but it was parasite eating through it, which could leave him blind.
The 38-year-old spent two months in Bali surfing and noticed his left eye becoming red, watery and ‘gritty’ towards the end of his trip on July 1.
Matt Flack was on holiday in Bali when he noticed his eye felt gritty Credit: Kennedy News
Soon, he could barely open it and it wouldn’t stop watering Credit: Kennedy News
He assumed sand or salt water had irritated it while surfing, but soon he was struggling to open his eye.
The photographer got eye drops from a pharmacy in Bali and booked an opticians appointment when he got home on July 10.
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Matt was referred to an eye clinic and told he had acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) – a rare eye infection caused by a parasite burrowing into his cornea – as well as cysts.
He now suspects he caught the infection while using a swimming pool in Bali.
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Matt was told a parasite had burrowed into his eye Credit: Kennedy News
He suspects he caught it swimming in Bali with contact lenses in Credit: Kennedy News
Matt admitted to wearing his contacts while surfing and swimming on holiday, though he made sure to remove them afterwards.
Contact lens wearers have a higher chance of contracting AK because the lenses can cause scrapes on the surface of the eye and then trap bacteria and the parasite under them.
The photographer now fears he’ll go blind or even lose his left eye, as he applied drops every hour to try and get rid of the parasite.
“Petrified” Matt, who has worn daily contact lenses for more than 20 years, urges others not to make the same mistake as him.
Matt, who lives in Colchester, Essex, said: “Three weeks ago I was dancing around on a surfboard in the sea and now I’m laying in a darkened room putting eye drops in every hour because I might lose an eye.
“I first noticed my eye had gone quite red and it was watering a lot and it felt gritty.
“At that point I stopped wearing my contact lenses and figured whatever it was would sort itself out.
“I figured it was sand or salt water from surfing but then it worsened. I became really sensitive to light and it got more uncomfortable.
Matt said he’d never had issues with his contacts before Credit: Kennedy News
Now he’s warning others not to make the same mistake Credit: Kennedy News
“The watering was pretty much constant and I couldn’t really open it much.”
Matt had a corneal scrape at an eye clinic once he was back in the UK, where a thin layer of the cornea is removed to be sent off for testing, and was told he likely had an ulcer or infection.
But his condition worsened and he urgently referred to an eye hospital, where scans and a corneal microscopy revealed he had AK.
Matt said: “It’s essentially a parasite eating away at my eye. When the doctors told me it was that big panic and I was very scared.
“I’m not ashamed to admit I had a little cry and a flap. At that point I thought ‘well I’m going to lose an eye’. I’ve kind of come to peace with it now.
“I still get frustrated but it’s happened and I can’t get too angry because I probably brought it upon myself.
“I surf, I snowboard and I’ve spent loads of my time in the sea and surfing and kite surfing and I’ve always worn contact lenses while doing that but removed them when I got out the sea.
“My thinking is that it came from a swimming pool. Doctors have essentially said they can’t prove or disprove where it’s come from.”
What is acanthamoeba keratitis?
Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is an infection of the cornea, the clear ‘window’ at the front of the eye, that can be very painful.
The infection is caused by a microscopic organism called scanthamoeba, which is common in nature and is usually found in bodies of water -like lakes, oceans and rivers – as well as domestic tap water, swimming pools, hot tubs, soil and air.
Acanthamoeba organisms do not generally cause harm to humans – all we come into contact with them when we wash, swim and drink water.
But they can cause a serious eye disease if they infect the cornea.
AK is most common in people who wear contact lenses, but anyone with a corneal injury is susceptible to developing the infection.
When not treated, it can damage your eyes and cause loss of sight.
Symptoms include:
Eye pain that’s sometimes severe
Feeling like something’s stuck in your eye but washing your eyes doesn’t help, and you can‘t see anything stuck there
Watery eye
Light sensitivity
Eye redness or irritation
Corneas that appear cloudy, dirty or that have a ring-shaped area on their surface.
Blurred or clouded vision – this usually happens with severe or advanced cases
Source: Moorfields Eye Hospital, Cleveland Clinic
Matt now regrets being so “blasé” about swimming with contacts in, wishing he’d known the full risks”
“It’s scary to think I’ve gone 38 years of my life with no problems other than short sightedness.
“To find out I’ve got something that could potentially take one of those away is petrifying.
“There’s a huge fear that I’ll become blind in that eye.”
The photographer is now on a three-month course of antibiotics and has vowed to never use contacts again.
He warned others: “Don’t wear contact lenses in or near water. It’s important for contact lens wearers to realise just because you wear dailies doesn’t mean you’re safe. I wore daily and here I am.
“If I can just get a couple of people to take their contacts out before they fling themself into a swimming pool that’ll be good news because no one needs to go through this.”
