‘I caught a flesh-eating parasite from mains water – now I’m blind in one eye’

Shereen-Fay Griffin, 38, lost sight in her left eye just under a year ago. She believes she contracted the infection – acanthamoeba keratitis – two days after she had a swim at a local pool.

The infection is caused by a microscopic organism called Acanthamoeba, which is common in nature and is usually found in bodies of water.

At first, Shereen’s symptoms were innocuous – itchiness, soreness and fatigue. She consulted a GP who referred her to an optician who then referred her to an ophthalmologist.

Shereen was treated with steroids and told she would receive a call to set up a follow-up appointment, Bbut as the weeks went on, the pain worsened and Shereen never received a call.

Almost ten weeks after her initial appointment, on November 9, she woke up blind in her left eye.

Shereen, who’s from Crayford in Kent, went swimming at a local leisure center on August 19 last year.

Two days later, her left eye started to become itchy and sore.

Shereen, a Learning Support Assistant at a local secondary school, said: “My eye was sore, itchy and scratchy.

“My eyelid was heavy and I was feeling fatigued.

“I had been swimming. I used the swimming pool and shower there.

“I had also washed my face at home in the morning and night.”

After trying over-the-counter treatment, Shereen went to her GP who prescribed her a week’s antibiotics, which did nothing.

Her GP advised her to visit an optician, who gave her an urgent referral to Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup on September 1st. There she was diagnosed with herpes simplex eye infection and given steroids and antibacterial eye drops.

On November 9, Shereen woke up “in the most excruciating pain” and blind in one eye.

She said: “It was coming up to 10 weeks of no follow-up appointment and steroids four times day when I woke up in the most excruciating pain and completely blind in that eye!”

Shereen went to the hospital immediately and another doctor was able to diagnose her with acanthamoeba keratitis. She was treated there but it was already too late.

All this time, Shereen’s cornea was being eaten away by the parasite and the scarring left her blind.

Acanthamoeba keratitis is caused by a single-celled organism that enters the eye and eats through the cornea.

Following her ordeal, Shereen decided to go to the Wellington Hospital, a private facility in St John’s Wood, London. There a doctor told Shereen that the steroids prescribed had made things worse.

She explained: “I couldn’t trust the NHS doctors after this level of neglect.

“They had wrongly diagnosed and wrongly medicated me for 10 weeks with no follow-up appointments even though I had been chasing them.

“The parasite was in fact strengthened by the steroids I had been put on for 10 weeks hence why I ended up waking up blind.

“It was explained to me by the doctors that this rare infection was very resistant to treatment.

“They said because mine had been strengthened with steroids for 10 weeks it was now super resistant.”

Unfortunately, to this day, Shereen still lives in pain and has not recovered her vision.

Her only chance at recovery lies with a corneal transplant, which may not work, and would need to be repeated.

She said: “I was bed-bound for three weeks and was house-bound for four months. I was off work for a total of five months.

“I have no left vision which stops me from taking part in activities like football with my students.

“I have dull ache, dryness, itches, soreness and still some light sensitivity as my pupil struggles to dilate because of the scares on the front of my eye.

“I will regain my sight only if I agree to a cornea transplant which may not work.”

Moorfields Eye Hospital said: “The infection is caused by a microscopic organism called Acanthamoeba, which is common in nature and is usually found in bodies of water as well as domestic tap water, swimming pools, hot tubs, soil and air.

They do not generally cause harm to humans, but they can cause a serious eye disease if they infect the cornea.