She lost her vision due to a parasite. You won't believe where it came from
For several months, British woman Shereen-Fay Griffin had been experiencing increasing itching and eye pain. Finally, at the hospital, specialists diagnosed the presence of a carnivorous parasite. Unfortunately, it caused her to lose sight in one eye. The most frightening thing is where she caught it.
10:07 AM EDT, October 25, 2023
38-year-old Shereen-Fay Griffin lives in Crayford, England, and works as a high school assistant. One day, she went to the local pool. - I was swimming. I was using the pool and the shower. I also washed my face at home in the morning and in the evening - she told MailOnline.
Two days later, she noticed disturbing symptoms in herself - her eye began to itch and hurt. Because of this, she went to visit her primary care physician. He recommended her to use over-the-counter drops and referred her to an ophthalmologist.
The specialist diagnosed her with an eye infection caused by the herpes simplex virus and prescribed her steroids and antibacterial eye drops. - I've never had even a cold sore before, so this was strange to me - she said.
She was also informed that someone would contact her in the coming days to arrange a check-up visit. However, this did not happen, and the woman's pain was intensifying.
The British woman wouldn't give up and kept trying to contact a specialist. However, to no avail. So she went to the clinic without an appointment. She then received additional medication.
Correct diagnosis
That didn't help either. Disturbed, she went to the hospital. There, doctors diagnosed her with acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), a flesh-eating eye parasite that feeds on the cornea and can cause blindness.
In an interview with MailOnline, Griffin confessed, that the doctors from the hospital she went to, informed her that the steroids prescribed to her made the situation worse.
I was bedridden for three weeks and didn't leave the house for four months. All together, I was out of work for five months - she added.
The 38-year-old can't see out of her left eye, which makes her job difficult. Unfortunately, she still experiences symptoms. - I feel a dull pain, dryness, itching, soreness, and continued sensitivity to light because my pupil has difficulty dilating. I will only regain my sight if I agree to a cornea transplant, which might not be successful - the British woman explained to MailOnline.
