Anyone who wears contact lenses is being warned over a risk of dangerous infection. Wearers have an increased risk of getting Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) if they re-use lenses.
The condition is caused when a parasite gets trapped between the cornea and the contact lens. Up to 62 per cent of cases can be prevented by using daily, rather than reusable, lenses, reports Birmingham Live.
Lead author Professor John Dart, of UCL, said: "In recent years we have seen an increase of Acanthamoeba keratitis in the UK and Europe. While the infection is still rare, it is preventable and warrants a public health response.
"Given that an estimated 300 million people across the globe wear contact lenses, it is important that people know how to minimise their risks for developing keratitis."
The study, published in Ophthalmology, was funded by Fight for Sight, the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre and Moorfields Eye Charity. The results found that about 90 per cent of AK cases are associated with avoidable risks.
Affecting fewer than one in 20,000 contact lens wearers per year in the UK, the infection still remains rare. The worst cases result in patients having less than 25 per cent of vision or become blind.
Around 25 per cent of people affected need corneal transplants to treat the disease or restore vision.
