Warning as woman loses sight in eye from flesh eating parasite

A social media influencer has warned how she ended up with a flesh-eating parasite in her left eye after using contact lenses.

Lilian Melchert posted a video to her 2.9 million TikTok followers explaining her ordeal, in an apparent effort to open their eyes to the potential danger.

"I got Acanthamoeba keratitis and it has been quite a journey," the 30-year-old said.

Acanthamoeba keratitis is a rare but serious infection of the eye caused by a microscopic, free-living ameba that can result in permanent visual impairment or blindness. The influencer told her followers how the treatment lasts on average from six months to one year.

"Pain, a lot of pain! It felt like I was giving birth to a child through my eye," she said.

Lilian, who lives in the US, contracted the condition in early March and had to seek emergency medical help.

"As some of you already know, March was not a very nice month for me. I woke up on the 1st feeling like a knife had been plunged into my left eye," she told her 1.5 million followers on Instagram. "I had never felt worse pain in my entire life. I rushed to the Los Angeles emergency room and started a treatment for [an] infection that showed no improvement in the following days.

"So, I was referred to several specialist ophthalmologists, spent a fortune on various antibiotics and eye drops, and no improvement. Fifteen days had passed and my vision had simply disappeared. None of the diagnoses seemed right. That was when I reached my physical and psychological limit. I was very scared."

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According to West Australian Department of Health website, "contact lenses are the most common risk factor for Acanthamoebic eye infection, so careful hygiene in their use and storage is essential".

While very rare, an estimated 85 per cent of cases occur in people who use contact lenses.

The 30-year-old ultimately flew home to Brazil to where doctors got to work on treating the "carnivorous parasite that devours the eye's cornea," she explained. "This f**king thing can be acquired from contaminated contact lenses or even tap water, so be careful!"

Lilian told her followers the "delicate treatment" could last for months and she is unsure how it will unfold for her.

"I don't know what will happen from now on, but I'm not measuring physical or even spiritual efforts to make everything work out ... But you know what? Everything will be fine. Thank you to all of you who have been sending me positive energy since the beginning of all this. You have no idea how much you've given me strength in this fragile moment."

The influencer did deliver some good news this week however, telling followers her situation had "improved a lot" and she could see about 80 per cent out of her infected eye.

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