Man Sleeps With Contact Lenses On, Flesh-Eating Parasites Eat His Eye

Mike Krumholz said the incident took place last month.

A man lost vision in one eye due to a rare flesh-eating parasite that developed after he slept with his contact lenses on. Twenty-one-year-old Mike Krumholz, from Florida in the United States, decided to take a nap after a busy day. In his seven years of wearing contact lenses, Mr Krumholz was no stranger to getting an eye infection or ‘pink eye’ if he forgot to take them out. But this time, things took a serious turn and Mr Krumholz was diagnosed with acanthamoeba keratitis in right eye.

He has sent up a GoFundMe page to spread awareness to other contact lens wearers and help support himself while he fights the debilitating parasite.

He has raised close to $1,000 out of his $10,000 goal.

On the page, created on February 7, Mr Krumholz has described what happened with him. According to him, the incident took place last month.

“I woke up and it felt like bad allergies or maybe even pink eye. I was misdiagnosed with HSV1 in my eye but after five different ophthalmologists and 2 cornea specialists visits, I was diagnosed with a very rare parasite in my eye called acanthamoeba keratitis,” the 21-year-old said.

“I have had one surgery so far called PDT relocation of conjunctival flap,” Mr Krumholz said, adding that it is extremely painful and he has “absolutely no vision” in the one eye.

“Not only can I not work, I cannot go outside, I’m just trying to get through this difficult time,” the GoFundMe page quoted Mr Krumholz as saying.

He finally makes an appeal to other people who wear contact lenses to not sleep or take shower wearing them.