A woman was left unable to open her right eye after an infection from her makeup bag.
Laura Hawkins, 24, had been travelling across Australia when she woke up with “excruciating” pain.
She couldn’t open her right eye, despite using drops from the pharmacy the previous day, in what she thought was conjunctivitis.
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Three months into her adventure, Laura was taken to A&E because she knew something wasn’t right.
She said: “I’d had conjunctivitis before and this was definitely not it. I woke up and I couldn’t physically open my eye.
“Even just a tiny bit of light getting in my eye would feel like a burning or stabbing pain.”
(Image: Courtesy Laura Hawkins / SWNS)
Throughout the day before, her eye had gotten more swollen and shut over.
At the hospital, Laura was sent to an optimologist, who discovered she had a corneal ulcer, which left untreated could have left her blind.
And the cause of her infection was down to having a dirty makeup bag.
Laura had started wearing glasses when she was 10 and made the switch to contact lenses at the age of 16.
She had been using two-week disposable contact lenses which should be taken out before bed, placing them in a saline solution overnight and putting them back in in the morning.
(Image: Courtesy Laura Hawkins / SWNS)
The lenses were supposed to last for two weeks, but despite Laura’s careful handling, one lens picked up bacteria from the makeup bag where they were stored.
After a course of strong painkillers and eye drops, doctors scraped bacterial cells from her eye for testing.
They believe the bacterial infection was picked up from her makeup bag, where the contact lens case had been stored every night during her time in Australia.
Laura was in hospital for over a week then had to recover at a friend’s house for nearly a month.
She faced three cancelled flights due to the pandemic, but then on March 26 she was able to return home with an eye patch.
(Image: Courtesy Laura Hawkins / SWNS)
Now a year on from her experience, Laura has permanent scarring on her right eye and is waiting for a corneal transplant on the NHS.
The personal trainer said: “Doctors said wait a year and see if the vision is any better but if not, I can have a corneal transplant so I’m being referred for that now.
“My peripheral vision and central to the right vision in my right eye, it’s now like there’s a white sheet over it.
“I can’t really see that well out of that eye, and especially when it’s night time and there’s bright lights, I just can’t see. I tried driving at night and I just can’t do that now.”
(Image: Courtesy Laura Hawkins / SWNS)
She added: “I didn’t wear contact lenses for over half a year after this happened, I just stuck to glasses, I didn’t want to put anything near my eye.
“I have researched into contact lenses since and while it isn’t common, people do get infections from their contact lenses so I think there should be more pre-warning when you get given them at your eye test as this was so bad.
“Nobody warned me what could happen – they told me the importance of cleaning my hands and using the saline solution, which I always did, but they never said that this could happen.”
Specsavers clinical services director Giles Edmonds, said: “It’s important that good hygiene is always followed when handling contact lenses. You wouldn’t put something dirty into your mouth so why would you do the same with your eyes?
“Clean, dry hands should always be used when putting in and taking out lenses and always rub, rinse and store your lenses in the recommended solution.
“You need to be mindful of where you store your lens case too as it can easily pick up bacteria in its surroundings, which can result in red eyes, irritation or even infection.
“For example, if you keep your lenses in a makeup bag, which is a breeding ground for bacteria, always be sure to wash your hands after opening the case and before handling your lenses.
“Don’t forget to clean your case regularly too as advised by your optician. To keep your eyes healthy, you should also apply your lenses before putting on make-up.
“Contact lens wearers shouldn’t use tap water or any other water on your lenses or case and should remove lenses before going in the shower or swimming to also reduce the risk of bacteria getting into the eye.”
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