John Breaux was a 52-year-old janitorial supplies salesman, who lost his eye sight within few days, after he acquired an infection in the eyelid of his right eye. Reason is MRSA, an especially aggressive and hard-to-treat form of staph infection. The full name is methicillin-resistant staphococcus aureus. Also it can spread fast.
In case of Breaux's, infection was especially problematic, because it had moved from the eyelid to behind the eye. Breaux was placed on the antibiotics that have proven effective against the bacteria, which were administered intravenously. He also underwent a procedure to drain the fluid from the eye. In spite of early action and aggressive treatment, Breaux lost the vision in the eye.
MRSA was rare and usually acquired only in hospitals where frequent antibiotic use allows resistant strains of bacteria to develop in past decades. The situation has changed now. In recent years, although the infection has become more frequent, it was usually confined to the extremities - arms and legs. That is changing and extending to the eye and even the nasal passages. It can be called "opportunistic bacterial infection".
Staph germs live on the skin of everyone. They don't cause problems until they somehow wind up where they shouldn't be - like in an open scratch or sore. The bacteria can be transferred by the hands from the nose to the any scratches on the eyelid, into the sinus cavity or onto any breaks in the skin.
However, quick action usually bring a positive outcome. There are several antibiotics that will treat MRSA, Meaders said, including Bactrim, a sulfa-based drug; Rifampin and Bactoban, a topical antibiotic. In previous times, if an established patient would call in with an eye infection, doctors would be more likely to prescribe an antibiotic drop over the phone. Now, they are more likely to insist on seeing the patient.
Doctors say preventing the bacteria from getting under the surface of the skin is the best way to avoid MRSA. Using tissues instead of handkerchiefs is one way to minimize the spread of bacteria. So is frequent hand-washing.
Source: the advertiser.com
Filed under Eye Diseases, Eye Treatment | Tags: Bacterial Infection, Bactoban, eye, Lost, methicillin-resistant staphococcus aureus, Rifampin, sulfa-based drug | Comment Below
Related?
Contagious Eye Infection Going Around Bostonia CommunityOctober 26th, 2006 Local doctors say a contagious eye infection is on the rise and so are bacterial infections that don't respond to traditional antibiotics. Doctor Matthew Guest at Neighborhood Healthcare in the Bostonia neighborhood of El Cajon says two illnesses are making their way through the area.
Contact Solution Linked to Nasty Eye Infection Acanthamoeba KeratitisJune 1st, 2007 Beware contact lens wearers. If you’re using AMO Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution, be aware that it’s been linked to a rare eye infection.
Stagnant water can spread eye infectionSeptember 27th, 2008 Health experts always say that the stagnant water can lead to various health hazards. Now researchers said that the same stagnant water can lead to eye disease.
Glaucoma now terrorising GhananiansAugust 20th, 2008 Recent research done by an Ophthalmologist, Dr. Winfried Amoaku and his associates involving the residents of Akwapim South district of Eastern Region, reveals that Ghanaians of age 30 and above are more prone to suffer from Glaucoma.
Cure corneal ulcer or it may leave you blindSeptember 29th, 2008 Corneal ulcer is the rare and dangerous eye disease that may harm the eye and if remained untreated, can lead to blindness. The cornea is the clear covering over the front of your eyeball.
Take fish oil to avoid vision loss risk in old age December 18th, 2008 University of Melbourne researchers have found omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil significantly decreases the risk of vision loss in old age. Omega-3 fatty acids, is found mostly in oily fish.The fatty acids are known to be important in the structure of the retina, and lead researcher Elaine Chong suggested that a low omega-3 intake might lead to breakdown of the macula.
Fusarium Kerititus (Fungal Eye Infection) Hit Berks CountyApril 21st, 2006 Beware contact lense users a fungal eye infection that can drag you to blindness has just hit Berks County. Joe Cirulli was diagnosed thursday with an infection called fusarium kerititus.
Bausch & Lomb Permanently Withdraw The Contact Lens Solution Which Found to Increase the Risk of Fusarium KeratitisSeptember 11th, 2006 A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US has shown MoistureLoc to be a major contributing factor behind cases of the infections in Hong Kong and the US. They found that users of MoistureLoc solution were more than 20 times more likely to get the infection.
