For the past three years, TikToker Vivian (@vivnoso) has been living part-time in Mexico. In that time, she has developed a rare parasite that is eating away at her eye.
The condition she has is known as acanthamoeba keratitis. It can be contracted by going swimming while wearing contacts, showering with contacts, sleeping with contacts, and not changing your contact solution.
It usually affects one eye at a time and affects the cornea, the clear, dome-shaped layer forming the front of the eye. Overall, the condition is rare. In the United States, there may be up to 1,500 cases each year, per the Cleveland Clinic.
“I wasn’t careful,” said Vivian. “I wasn’t making sure I clean my solution every day. I wasn’t making sure that I didn’t shower with contacts.”
“I was going in the water with them. Mind you, I’ve had contacts for a lot of years now, but you never really know who it can happen to until it’s you.”
According to Vivian, this has been the most painful thing she has ever experienced in her life. She has had to live in complete darkness for two weeks because her eye is just that sensitive to light.
She has improved slightly and can look at light for a brief time, but every 10 seconds, it feels like knives and shards of glass are cutting her eye.
She can no longer see out of her right eye. The whole situation has negatively affected her mental health, especially since she is unable to do the things she loves.
She really wishes she had been more careful and is now warning others to take care of their contacts so they don’t end up with a parasite.
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In the comments section, many TikTok users thanked her for spreading awareness about what could happen if eye care isn’t taken seriously, while others shared similar stories about eye infections.
“Optometrist here. People reuse contact solution, overwear (only change to new lenses when they are uncomfortable), sleep in their contact lenses, and are not careful around water, especially tap and freshwater, for convenience and saving money. The cost to take care of contacts properly is far less than the cost of losing an eye due to this type of infection!” exclaimed one user.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you. Thank you for spreading awareness. This really hit home for me because I wear contacts, too, and I’ll admit I get lazy sometimes and forget to take them out and clean them. Your story is a much-needed reminder,” commented another.
“My husband has something similar. Glad for amazing doctors in La Jolla, CA. His was from a fungal infection from mulch going in his eye. So painful and overwhelming,” added a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
