Abstract:
Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), first described in 1974, is a relatively uncommon condition, but one which presents a substantial impact in terms of morbidity, visual loss and cost to health care services. There was a sharp upsurge in incidence in the 1980s as a result of the marked increased in the use of soft contact lenses and the use of home-made saline cleaning solutions. Fortunately, increasing knowledge and understanding of the condition and its risk factors, together with enhanced patient education regarding contact lens use, resulted in a significant reduction in acanthamoeba as a cause of severe infective keratitis by the mid 1990s. .....