Beware of contact lenses.. Bacteria crept in and ate a young man's eye for hours

 A Florida man has been partially blinded after sleeping with contact lenses on. In this chilling story, 21-year-old Michael Krumholz, a sports business management student in Miami, said he took a nap wearing his daily contact lenses in December 40 minutes.

 When he woke up, his left eye was red. He ignored it and just removed the lens. Over the next few days, he slowly began to lose his vision and began to experience excruciating pain.

A month later, doctors finally diagnosed him with a flesh-eating bacterial infection called acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), which can lead to permanent and severe vision loss.

carnivorous bacteria

The young man can no longer see through his left eye, only seeing flickering "black and grey" colours, which he likens to a constant on television.

Doctors say he may only regain 10 per cent of his vision after a corneal transplant, but the patient told DailyMail.com he's only getting 1 per cent back.

The infection forced him to give up work and hobbies, including meeting friends, playing basketball and working out at the gym.

He told DailyMail.com: "I'm 21 and I've been trying to find a job in sports management in my field, but it seems impossible. No job, no social life."

He also developed photosensitivity, which means exposure to direct sunlight can be painful. The young man now spends most of his time in a room with closed curtains and dark glasses. The 20-something wore contact lenses every day for about three years before his injury.

According to experts, he contracted a rare bacterial infection. The bacteria that cause the infection are usually harmless and very common. 

They are found in lakes, streams, oceans and soil. It also has access to main water and HVAC units. But if it gets into the eye through tiny tears and scratches, it can cause an infection.