Eye-Eating Parasite Nearly Blinds Florida Teen

A Florida high school girl claims she nearly went blind after contracting a parasite on her eye from wearing contact lenses.

The parasite, called Acanthamoeba is found in dust, the ocean, pools and even tap water and can spread through cuts or skin wounds, by being inhaled, or in the case of Ashley Hyde, through wearing contact lenses, according to Florida's Local10 News.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the Acanthamoeba can cause rare, but severe infections of the eye, skin and central nervous system. Most people will come into contact with Acanthamoeba at some point during life, but very few will become sick from exposure, the CDC reports.

When infecting an eye, the parasite eats through the cornea. It can feed and grow on dirty contact lenses and cases.

"Every day we see people coming in here with contact-lens-related infections, complications, ulcers," said Adam Clarin, an optometric physician in Florida. "These are things that are potentially blinding."

Last month the U.K. publication The Telegraph reported on a women who had to have an eye removed because of a fungal infection related to wearing contact lenses.

She described the pain of the infection as horrendous.

"I was screaming. My 15-year-old son Charlie called an ambulance and I was given morphine, but it didn't touch the pain. I've given birth twice but nothing compares to that. I could feel the bug eating through my eye," said Jacqueline Stone, who is taking legal action a contact maker.

The British Contact Lens Association recommends contact lens wearers avoid infection by not using tap water during to rinse lenses or the storage case, not wearing lenses while swimming without goggles, showering or in hot tubs, and drying your hands properly before using contacts.