The American Mike Krumholz, 21 years old, never imagined that he could wake up blind after taking a nap of just 40 minutes.
Even knowing that you can’t sleep while wearing contact lenses, Krumholz did this quite often. In December of last year, after a short nap, he woke up with something unusual in his eyes. A acanthamoebaa parasite that lives in fresh water, had taken up residence in his right eye.
The young man sought medical help but was misdiagnosed with herpes simplex type 1 and told to take antibiotics. The prescription drugs, however, made his situation worse.
On January 21, after a battery of tests, the doctors arrived at the correct diagnosis: keratitis (eye infection) caused by amoeba.
The 21-year-old was blind in his right eye.Mike Krumholz
keratitis before medicineMike Krumholz’s Eye Before It Was Mismedicated
keratitis after medicineMike’s eye after antibiotics Mike Krumholz
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Transplant
Due to the seriousness of the situation, Krumholz needed a conjunctival covering surgery, which consists of transposing the conjunctival tissue of the healthy eye over the lesion in the cornea of the affected eye. In addition, he underwent photodynamic therapy to try to alleviate the damage caused by keratitis.
Currently, the boy still cannot see and lives with extreme sensitivity in his eyes, which prevents him from working, studying and even using his cell phone.
“I don’t know how to explain a pain like that. I spend part of the day in my room, with the blinds closed and all the lights off,” Krumholz told the Daily Star.
He hopes to be eligible soon for a corneal transplant, which could restore at least 50% of his vision.
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