The contact lenses used by Lilian Melchert, a 30-year-old social media phenomenon living in the USA, turned her life into a nightmare.
The young woman, who has 2.9 million followers on TikTok, attracted attention with the video she published on April 15.
"I WAKE UP IN THE NIGHT WITH A PAIN LIKE A KNIFE IN MY EYE"
Stating that she woke up one night in March with a pain as if a knife had been stabbed in her eye, Melchert said, "I have never felt such severe pain in my life." She said she rushed to the emergency room.
THE SITUATION HAS INCREASED
Explaining that the doctors in the Los Angeles emergency room started to treat the infection, Melchert went to several different specialists in the following days, but her eyes were getting worse.
SHE DID NOT SEE AFTER 15 DAYS
"I spent a fortune on antibiotics and eye drops, but none of the diagnoses made by the doctors turned out to be correct," said the young woman, who lost her sight completely after 15 days.
"When I realized that I couldn't see, I felt that I had reached the upper limit psychologically and physically. I was very scared." As a last resort, Melchert went to Brazil to go to the doctor his family found.
THE CAUSE IS MEAT EATING BACTERIA.
Melchert couldn't believe what she was hearing when the specialist in Brazil explained to her that she had a very rare condition. The unfortunate woman was infected with a flesh-eating bacteria due to the contact lens she wore.
'Acanthamoeba keratitis' infection caused by the bacterium is a very rare but very serious infection that can cause permanent vision loss. Experts note that the treatment of the infection may take months and may require a corneal transplant.
IT CAN EVEN FOUND FROM TAP WATER
Stating that bacteria that make her life a nightmare can be transmitted even from tap water, the young woman warned her followers, "Our eyes are very sensitive, so you have to be very careful."
Stating that she did not see anything a month ago, but her vision gradually returned with the start of the treatment, Melchert said, "It was a very long and difficult journey. I really suffered a lot." told in her words.
WHAT IS AKANTAMOEBA KERATIS? WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Acanthamoeba Keratitis (AK) is an infection caused by the pathogenic Acanthamoeba, mostly seen in Contact Lens wearers.
The main symptoms of the disease are;
- Eye pain
- Eye redness
- Blurred vision
- Light sensitivity
- A feeling that something is in the eye
- Eye watering
- The infection also causes a white, ring-shaped corneal ulcer.