A WOMAN caught flesh-eating parasites from mains water, ravaging her face and leaving her blind in one eye.
Shereen-Fay Griffith, from Crayford in Kent, has told of her “excruciating” year-long health ordeal as she still struggles to recover.
The 38-year-old contracted the infection – acanthamoeba keratitis – two days after she went swimming at a leisure centre.
She believes water from either the pool or a tap at home was to blame.
The infection is caused by a microscopic organism called acanthamoeba, common in nature and usually found in bodies of water.
At first Shereen’s symptoms seemed innocuous – just itchiness, soreness and fatigue.
She consulted a GP who referred her to an optician who then directed her towards an ophthalmologist.
Shereen was treated with steroids but the pain continued to worsen and, ten weeks on, she woke up blind in one eye.
Shereen had gone swimming on August 19, two days before her eye started to become itchy and sore.
Shereen, a learning support assistant at a secondary school, said: “My eye was sore, itchy and scratchy – my eyelid was heavy and I was feeling fatigued.
“I had been swimming. I used the swimming pool and shower there.
“I had also washed my face at home in the morning and night.”
After trying over-the-counter treatment, Shereen went to her GP who prescribed her a week’s antibiotics which did nothing.
Her doctor advised her to visit an optician, who gave her an urgent referral to Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup on September 1.
I woke up in the most excruciating pain
Shereen-Fay Griffin
There she was diagnosed with herpes simplex eye infection and given steroids and antibacterial eye drops – but her symptoms continued to worsen.
Shereen said: “I’ve never in my life even had a cold sore so it was odd to me.
“I had a continuous dull pain in my eye – it didn’t seem right but was manageable with day-to-day life.”
Shereen described feeling “the most excruciating pain” when she woke up blind in one eye on November 9.
She went to hospital immediately and another doctor was able to diagnose her with acanthamoeba keratitis.
She was told her cornea was being eaten away by the parasite and the scarring left her blind.
Acanthamoeba keratitis is caused by a single-celled organism that enters the eye and eats through the cornea.
She ultimately decided to go to the Wellington Hospital, a private facility in St John’s Wood, north London.
She said: “It was explained to me by the doctors that this rare infection was very resistant to treatment.
“They said because mine had been strengthened with steroids for 10 weeks it was now super-resistant.”
Shereen still lives in pain and has not recovered her vision.
She said: “I was bed-bound for three weeks and was house-bound for four months. I was off work for a total of five months.
“I have no left vision which stops me from taking part in activities like football with my students.
“I have dull ache, dryness, itches, soreness and still some light sensitivity as my pupil struggles to dilate because of the scares on the front of my eye.
“I will regain my sight only if I agree to a cornea transplant which may not work.”
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Moorfields Eye Hospital in London said: “The infection is caused by a microscopic organism called acanthamoeba, which is common in nature and is usually found in bodies of water as well as domestic tap water, swimming pools, hot tubs, soil and air.
“They do not generally cause harm to humans, but they can cause a serious eye disease if they infect the cornea.”
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