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Fungal Keratitis
What is fungal keratitis?
Symptoms of eye
infections:
·
Sudden blurred or fuzzy
vision.
·
Red/ irritated eyes
lasting for an unusually
long period of time after
removal of the contact
lens.
·
Pain in and around the
eyes.
·
Increased sensitivity to
light.
·
Excessive eye tearing or
discharge.
6 Recommendations
for Clean and Safe
Contact Lens Wear
1. Always
wash
your
hands before
handling contact
lenses.
2. Carefully and regu-
larly clean contact
lenses.
3. Store lenses in
clean and proper
case. Replace case
every 3 months.
4. Use only cleaning
products recom-
mended by your
optometrist.
5. Never re-use old
solution.
6. Replace
contact
lenses as
prescribed by
your doctor.
Fungal keratitis is a serious and
painful corneal disease caused
by a fungal organism. Until
now, fungal keratitis has rarely
been reported in the healthy
contact lens wearing population.
It typically occurs after trauma
associated with plant matter or
in immuno-compromised indi-
viduals. The higher incidence
of fungal keratitis among normal
contact lens wearers is a new
finding.
Etiology
The cause of this increased
incidence of fungal keratitis is
currently under investigation by
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
Symptoms
include blurred
vision, a red and painful eye that does not im-
prove when the contact lens is removed, in-
creased sensitivity to light, and excessive tear-
ing or discharge.

If you experience any of these symptoms, you
should return to your optometrist immediately.
Diagnosis
Clinically, it is often difficult to differentiate
between fungal and bacterial infections.
Confirmation may be obtained by your doctor
through corneal culture, corneal tissue biopsy or
confocal microscopy.
Treatment
Laboratory results take time to get back, so
your doctor may place you on antibiotics
pending results. Should fungal treatment be
warranted, topical or oral anti-fungal agents
may be used. In some cases, surgical
intervention is necessary.
Fungal keratitis may appear as a grayish-white lesion
with feathery borders. It may be difficult to differentiate
from other eye infections, so any red or painful eye
should be evaluated by your optometrist immediately.
As with any medical device,
hygiene plays a key role in the
safety of the product. Particu-
lar attention should be made
to the cleanliness of your
hands, contact lens case and
the contact lens itself. Any
contaminants found on these
surfaces may get into the eye
upon insertion of the lens.
Lenses should be cleaned
immediately upon removal
from the eye. The lens should
be rubbed or rinsed thor-
oughly before placing in the
lens case. Contact lens solu-
tion should be discarded upon
opening the case and fresh
solution should be used each
time the lens is placed in the
case. The case should be
stored dry between disinfec-
tion cycles. The lens case
should be replaced every
three months to avoid infec-
tion.
When not properly cared for,
contact lenses have been
associated with eye infection.
It is important to replace
lenses as prescribed by your
doctor, even if proper hygiene
measures are being followed.
Always use the solution pre-
scribed by your doctor, switch-
ing solutions could result in
lens/solution incompatibility,
lens discomfort or infection.
By following your optometrist's
instructions, you can ensure
contact lenses remain a safe
and effective form of vision
correction.
Contact Lenses remain a safe and effective form of
vision correction.