Parasite In Eyeball: Teen’s Eye Gets Eaten Due To Dirty Contact Lens

A teen's dirty contact lenses lead to the growth of a parasite that almost caused her to lose her vision.

Fortunately doctors were able to save her vision from the parasite which had moved into her eyes.

Ashley Hyde had been complaining about pain in her right eye for some time. She visited her doctor and optometrist and only recently discovered that her eye sight was worsening over time.

The infection was finally identified as acanthamoeba, which is caused by parasite found in water.

"Every day we see people come in with contact lens related to infections, complications, ulcers. These are all things that are potentially blinding," said optometric physician Dr. Adam Clarin to Local10.com. "There is nothing safer or healthier than throwing out the lens every day and starting with a new one the next day."

According to the New York Daily News, doctors drilled into Hyde's eye and took scrapings from the eyeball. They soon discovered a microscopic parasite -- found in water and soil - had latched onto and spread across the lens.

Hyde's advice for contact wearers after this traumatizing ordeal, "never skip a step when cleaning their lenses."

"It hurts," she said. "I wouldn't risk it."