Parasites Bury in Woman's Eye After She Went Swimming in Contact Lenses: 'Most Pain I've Ever Experienced'

Mar. 15, 2025

Brooklyn McCasland was infected with a parasite in her eye after she went swimming in contact lenses.Photo:Kennedy News and Media

Kennedy News and Media

Parasites burrowed into a Texas woman’s eye, causing her to go blind — and it’s because she went swimming in contact lenses.Brooklyn McCasland, 23, visited Alabama with friends in August when she says she contracted the parasiteacanthamoeba keratitis (AK), which theCleveland Clinicexplains is an amoeba that can damage your cornea and cause vision loss.“This infection mimics other common infections so at the time I was put on steroids and a handful of other drops,” McCasland explained in aGoFundMeestablished to help her pay her considerable medical bills.The delay in diagnosingacanthamoeba keratitiscaused McCasland’s infection to worsen, she said.Brooklyn McCasland was infected with a parasite after she went swimming in her contact lenses.Kennedy News and Media“I was in the most pain I’ve ever experienced and eventually went fully blind in my right eye,” she said.McCasland said she was seeing an eye doctor every two days, and was referred to different eye specialists as she sought an answer for the pain and vision loss.When “I got the results back that I had AK,” McCasland said she was told “I could possibly go permanently blind or lose my eye if not starting treatment immediately.”She adds that “because this infection is so rare, the drops that are used for treatment are only made in the UK. Luckily, the doctor’s office in Dallas had a couple of samples so I could start treatment as soon as possible.”McCasland said she needs to put drops in her eyes every 30 minutes because “it is such a slow healing process.”Close-up of the parasitic infection in Brooklyn McCasland’s eye.Kennedy News and Media“I’m thankful that we know exactly what it is and I’m able to start the correct treatment,” she said. “If I would have known that from not swimming in my contacts I could’ve avoided all of this pain, I would have never done it.”Acanthamoeba keratitis infections are rare, with an estijmated 1,500 infections in the U.S. annually — butcontact lenswearers make up a whopping 90% of those cases. As theCleveland Clinicexplains, wearing contacts for too long, improperly storing or cleaning them, and wearing them while swimming or showering can increase your risk of contracting the parasite.Also, “contact lens wear cause minor corneal abrasions, which is the key initial step for Acanthamoeba infection.” theNational Library of Medicinepointed out.And for McCasland, her struggle with the infection is far from over. As she shared in an update on the GoFundMe, a recent visit to the doctor confirmed “it looked not completely worse but not better than last time.”“There is a possibility I will need to get a cornea transplant once we get rid of the infection. This could take months but I’m thankful that we know exactly what it is,” McCasland said. “I hope my journey will help prevent anyone else from going through this.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Parasites burrowed into a Texas woman’s eye, causing her to go blind — and it’s because she went swimming in contact lenses.

Brooklyn McCasland, 23, visited Alabama with friends in August when she says she contracted the parasiteacanthamoeba keratitis (AK), which theCleveland Clinicexplains is an amoeba that can damage your cornea and cause vision loss.

“This infection mimics other common infections so at the time I was put on steroids and a handful of other drops,” McCasland explained in aGoFundMeestablished to help her pay her considerable medical bills.

The delay in diagnosingacanthamoeba keratitiscaused McCasland’s infection to worsen, she said.

Brooklyn McCasland was infected with a parasite after she went swimming in her contact lenses.Kennedy News and Media

“I was in the most pain I’ve ever experienced and eventually went fully blind in my right eye,” she said.

McCasland said she was seeing an eye doctor every two days, and was referred to different eye specialists as she sought an answer for the pain and vision loss.

When “I got the results back that I had AK,” McCasland said she was told “I could possibly go permanently blind or lose my eye if not starting treatment immediately.”

She adds that “because this infection is so rare, the drops that are used for treatment are only made in the UK. Luckily, the doctor’s office in Dallas had a couple of samples so I could start treatment as soon as possible.”

McCasland said she needs to put drops in her eyes every 30 minutes because “it is such a slow healing process.”

Close-up of the parasitic infection in Brooklyn McCasland’s eye.Kennedy News and Media

“I’m thankful that we know exactly what it is and I’m able to start the correct treatment,” she said. “If I would have known that from not swimming in my contacts I could’ve avoided all of this pain, I would have never done it.”

Acanthamoeba keratitis infections are rare, with an estijmated 1,500 infections in the U.S. annually — butcontact lenswearers make up a whopping 90% of those cases. As theCleveland Clinicexplains, wearing contacts for too long, improperly storing or cleaning them, and wearing them while swimming or showering can increase your risk of contracting the parasite.

Also, “contact lens wear cause minor corneal abrasions, which is the key initial step for Acanthamoeba infection.” theNational Library of Medicinepointed out.

And for McCasland, her struggle with the infection is far from over. As she shared in an update on the GoFundMe, a recent visit to the doctor confirmed “it looked not completely worse but not better than last time.”

“There is a possibility I will need to get a cornea transplant once we get rid of the infection. This could take months but I’m thankful that we know exactly what it is,” McCasland said. “I hope my journey will help prevent anyone else from going through this.”

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source: people.com