He thought that his eye was irritated by sand or salty water while surfing, but soon it became difficult for him to open it. The photographer bought eye drops at a pharmacy in Bali, and upon returning home, he registered with an eye doctor on July 10, according to The Sun.
Matt was referred to an eye clinic where he was diagnosed with Acanthamoeba keratitis – a rare eye infection caused by a parasite penetrating the cornea – and cysts were detected. He now suspects that he contracted the infection while swimming in a pool in Bali.
Matt admitted that during the holiday he wore contact lenses while surfing and swimming, although he always removed them afterward. Contact lens wearers are at higher risk of AK because lenses can scratch the eye surface and trap bacteria and parasites underneath.
Now the photographer fears he might go blind or even lose his left eye, as he was putting drops in every hour trying to get rid of the parasite. Terrified, Matt, who has worn daily contact lenses for more than 20 years, urges others not to make the same mistake.
Matt said: “Three weeks ago I was jumping for joy on a surfboard in the sea, and now I’m lying in a dark room putting medicine in my eye every hour because I might lose it. At first, I noticed my eye was very red, started tearing a lot, and felt like there was sand in it. Then I stopped wearing contact lenses and thought the problem would resolve itself. I thought it was sand or salty water after surfing, but the condition worsened. I became very sensitive to light, and the discomfort increased. My eye was constantly tearing, so I could barely open it.”
Back in the UK, Matt underwent a corneal scraping procedure at an eye clinic (where a thin layer of the cornea is removed for examination) and learned that he most likely had an ulcer or infection. However, his condition worsened, so he was urgently referred to an eye hospital; after tests and corneal microscopy, it was revealed that he had Acanthamoeba keratitis.
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Matt said: “Basically, it’s a parasite eating my eye. When the doctors told me this, I panicked – I was very scared. I’m not ashamed to admit I cried a bit and fell into despair. At that moment, I thought: ‘Well, that’s it – I’m going to lose my eye.’ Now I have come to terms with that thought.”
“I still feel disappointed, but it happened; I can’t be too angry because I’m probably to blame myself. I do surfing and snowboarding, spent a lot of time in the sea – both with a surfboard and a kite; while doing this, I always wore contact lenses but took them out after getting out of the water. I think it happened in the pool. Doctors basically say they can neither confirm nor deny where it came from.”
Now Matt regrets being so careless about swimming with contact lenses and wishes he had known about all the possible risks: “It’s scary to think that I lived 38 years without any problems except nearsightedness. To find out I have a disease that could take away vision in one eye is just terrifying. I’m very afraid I will go blind in that eye.” Currently, the photographer is taking antibiotics for three months and has promised never to use contact lenses again.
He warned others: “Don’t wear contact lenses in or near water. It’s important for lens wearers to understand: just because you use daily lenses doesn’t mean you are safe. I wore them myself – and this is what happened. If I can convince even a few people to take out their lenses before jumping into a pool, that will be good news because no one needs to go through what I did.”
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