General information
Especially patients with accompanying serious underlying diseases, such as cancer, can get dangerous infections under chemotherapy, which can also affect the eye area (infections of the eye). Especially by wearing contact lenses for too long or improperly cleaning them, a serious infection of the eyes can occur. So if a patient with inflamed, strongly reddened eyes comes to the doctor and reports pain as well as worsened vision, the clarification of the cause is often purposeful for a correct diagnosis.
It is asked whether the recommended wearing time and the necessary hygiene measures for contact lenses have been observed. In addition, the irritated eye is then examined with the so-called slit lamp. The ophthalmologist will detect any clouding of the cornea of the eye due to corneal inflammation (keratitis).
Especially soft contact lenses can lead to an infection of the surface of the eye. It plays a role here that the material of the contact lenses is only made to survive a certain period of wear and is no longer suitable for the eye and must be replaced afterwards. This is due to deposits that form on the lens surface, which cannot be removed even by daily cleaning measures.
Various germs can then multiply in these deposits. Due to the soft material of the lenses, the pathogens can also migrate into the interior of the contact lens. In addition, there is the hygiene factor when handling contact lenses: it is important to wash your hands before inserting or removing the lenses, to clean the lenses properly yourself and to store them in a clean place.
The lens containers should also be replaced regularly with new ones and the lenses should not come into contact with tap water, which is not sterile. The contact lens prevents the surface of the eye from being regularly wiped clean by the eyelids when you blink, so that germs can easily multiply in the moist chamber between the contact lens and the cornea. In case of an infection of the eye, various pathogens can be considered.
After other causes, such as a foreign body injury or a chronic disease (e.g. incomplete eyelid closure), have been ruled out during the examination, the ophthalmologist clarifies which pathogen is present by means of a conjunctival smear. In some cases, an additional tissue sample is required for this purpose. However, a viral infection (e.g. herpes simplex) is also possible and would then not be related to the contact lenses.
- Gram-negative pseudomonads and
- Gram-positive streptococci, fungi, parasites and acanthamoebae occurring in drinking water are responsible.
Chlamydia belongs to another family of pathogens and can lead to blindness of the eye if left untreated. However, this can be averted by rapid treatment of the eye infection. Chlamydia are only sensitive to antibiotics for a short period of time during their multiplication, so that treatment must be given for 2 weeks in the case of an infection with Chlamydia in the eye and not just 7-10 days for other types of bacteria.
Initially, these so-called phlegmons become noticeable in an eye infection by an inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye and doughy swollen eyelid in one (lid edema). Furthermore, limited mobility of the eyeball is more frequently diagnosed. In this case the ophthalmologist should definitely have a CT examination of the head.
In some cases, fungal infections must be considered, which can also cause such complaints (aspergillosis). If no fungus is detectable after taking a sample and the symptoms are increasing (mobility of the eye is increasingly restricted), a phlegmon of the eye must be assumed, which means absolute danger to life. The eye would also be increasingly pressed outwards by a swelling (exophthalmos) and the patient would complain about a rapidly growing visual deterioration (infection of the eye).
