A new outbreak of a rare but preventable eye infection that can cause blindness, has been identified in contact lens wearers in a new study. The research team found a threefold increase in Acanthamoeba keratitis since 2011 in South-East England.
A new outbreak of a rare but preventable eye infection that can cause blindness, has been identified in contact lens wearers in a new study led by UCL and Moorfields Eye Hospital researchers.
The research team found a threefold increase in Acanthamoeba keratitis since 2011 in South-East England.
Reusable contact lens wearers with the eye infection are more likely to have used an ineffective contact lens solution, have contaminated their lenses with water or reported poor contact lens hygiene, according to the findings published today in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. “This infection is still quite rare, usually affecting 2.5 in 100,000 contact lens users per year in South East England, but it’s largely preventable. This increase in cases highlights the need for contact lens users to be aware of the risks,” said the study’s lead author, Professor John Dart (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust).
Acanthamoeba keratitis is an eye disease that causes the front surface of the eye, the cornea, to become painful and inflamed, due to infection by Acanthamoeba, a cyst-forming microorganism.
The most severely affected patients (a quarter of the total) have less than 25% of vision or become blind following the disease and face prolonged treatment. Overall 25% of people affected require corneal transplants to treat the disease or restore vision.
Anyone can be infected, but contact lens users face the highest risk, due to a combination of increased susceptibility to infection, for reasons not fully established, as a result of contact lens wear and contamination of lens cases.
The researchers collected incidence data from Moorfields Eye Hospital, from 1985 to 2016. They found an increase dating from 2000-2003, when there were eight to 10 cases per year, to between 36-65 annual cases in the past few years. As Moorfields treats more than one in three cases of the disease in the UK, the researchers expect their findings are relevant to the UK more broadly.
Alongside these findings, they conducted a case-control study of people who wear reusable contact lenses on a daily basis (although the disease is also associated with disposable lenses), comparing those who had a diagnosis of Acanthamoeba keratitis to those who had come in to Moorfields A&E for any other reason, from 2011 to 2014.
The case-control study included 63 people with Acanthamoeba keratitis and 213 without. They all completed a questionnaire, from which the researchers found that the risk of developing the disease was more than three times greater amongst people with poor contact lens hygiene, people who did not always wash and dry their hands before handling their lenses, those who used a lens disinfectant product containing Oxipol (now phased out by the manufacturer), and for people who wore their contacts while in swimming pools or hot tubs. Showering and face washing while wearing contact lenses are also likely to be risk factors.
Acanthamoeba is more commonly found in the UK than in other countries, likely due to higher levels found in domestic (as opposed to mains) water supplies, so that water contamination of contact lenses is of particular concern in the UK.
The researchers say the current outbreak is unlikely to be due to any one of the identified risk factors in isolation.
“People who wear reusable contact lenses need to make sure they thoroughly wash and dry their hands before handling contact lenses, and avoid wearing them while swimming, face washing or bathing. Daily disposable lenses, which eliminate the need for contact lens cases or solutions, may be safer and we are currently analysing our data to establish the risk factors for these,” said Professor Dart.
“We now need to share this information as widely as possible with clinicians, contact lens practitioners and contact lens wearers, a strategy that has proved effective in the past in decreasing the incidence and burden of this severe eye infection,” said co-author Dr Nicole Carnt, who completed the study at Moorfields before moving to the University of New South Wales. “This research confirms what those of us affected by Acanthamoeba keratitis have suspected for some time: that incidence of this awful, life-changing infection are on the increase, and there’s more that should be done to prevent people from losing their sight to Acanthamoeba keratitis,” said Irenie Ekkeshis, who is part of Acanthamoeba Keratitis Patient Support Group UK. “It is absolutely imperative that regulators and those working in the optical sector take the findings seriously, and use the recommendations to take immediate and urgent action on prevention. Contact lenses are medical devices and should be supplied with warnings regarding safe use.”
Source:
Materials provided by University College London. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
For more helpful eye care and vision care tips, please visit our main blog page.
betting on a horse race
My web site: Free greyhound racing tips for today
uk [Bukmacherjakie.com]
southwell races today results and payouts
My web site Greyhound Tv Live Stream
today’s non runners horse nottingham dog racing results (grayhound-betting.com)
https://strendus-bet.com.mx/
Strendus es una plataforma de juego mexicana inaugurado en 2020 por New Ads, S.A. de C.V. sujeto a la regulacion de SEGOB, creado especificamente para la audiencia nacional y no a modo de una mera adaptacion linguistica de operadores europeos.
how to work out betting odds horse racing
My web-site sheffield greyhounds results
https://wazamba-bet.com.mx/
Wazamba constituye un casino online que aparecio en 2019 con una propuesta fresca y visualmente distinta, poniendo a disposicion una cifra superior a los 4,000 juegos, incluyendo tragamonedas, casino en vivo y apuestas deportivas, todo sin necesidad de cambiar de pagina.
60 free spins no deposit uk, casino toronto canada and
best casino site canada, or new zealandn online casino no deposit bonus 2021
Feel free to surf to my site :: goplayslots.Net
Corey here — I’ve tried cross-chain transfers and the accurate charts impressed me.
JULESLOT
toto138.net
Fast onboarding, fast transactions, and a team that actually cares. Great for cross-chain swaps with minimal slippage.
Fastidious answers in return of this matter with real arguments and explaining the whole thing about that.
https://betmexico-bet.com.mx/
Betmexico es un casino en linea y casa de apuestas deportivas concebido especificamente para sector mexicano de apuestas, que opera con licencia de la SEGOB, esto es, sujeto directamente a la supervision del Estado mexicano.
https://betcris-bet.com.mx/
Betcris es considerada una de las plataformas de juego mas solidas de toda Latinoamerica, destacando por su particular fortaleza en el mercado mexicano.
collection management software
WavePLM collection management software helps brands plan and execute seasonal assortments with clarity, linking every style to calendar milestones, budgets, and responsible owners.
I wanted to thank you for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it. I have got you book-marked to look at new stuff you post…
Khamzat Chimaev seems impossible to beat, but Sean Strickland is so awkward and durable that an upset is very possible, while the remainder of the event includes a stand-up fighter against a submission expert with no losses at 125 pounds, a pair of heavyweight power punchers with unbreakable chins, a tactical brawl at welterweight, along with a throwback, all-out brawl featuring two lightweight old-guard fighters, where each fight carries the threat of someone’s ideal blueprint collapsing in real time.
ufc 328
The essence of the passage is that the May 9 UFC 328 card delivers five intriguing matchups spread over five different divisions, including Khamzat Chimaev favored yet not certain to defeat Sean Strickland, who is both durable and hard to read for the middleweight title, at the same time the fights in the four other weight classes each represent tricky tactical battles which guarantee the night will not be uneventful.
click here
https://betway-bet.com.mx/
Betway en Mexico se presenta como una plataforma de casino digital y casa de apuestas deportivas con practicamente 20 anos de trayectoria global, respaldado por habilitaciones de organismos exigentes tales como la MGA y la UK Gambling Commission, ademas funciona cumpliendo con la regulacion de la Secretaria de Gobernacion en Mexico.