Eye MRSA (Staph) Infection Becomes More Common; Can Lead To Total Vision Loss
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
You may also like to read
- Glaucoma now terrorising Ghananians
- Contact Solution Linked to Nasty Eye Infection Acanthamoeba Keratitis
- Contagious Eye Infection Going Around Bostonia Community
- Bausch & Lomb Permanently Withdraw The Contact Lens Solution Which Found to Increase the Risk of Fusarium Keratitis
- Laser Eye Surgery is Not a Good Choice for Everyone
- Sickle Cell Disease Can Cause Sudden Painless Vision Loss
- Fusarium Kerititus (Fungal Eye Infection) Hit Berks County
- Lumigan, Allergan's Intraocular Pressure Drug, Received FDA Approval
- Patients Report Sight Loss After Free Eye Surgery
- Fungal Infections Among Contact Lens Users are Rising Sharply
