A growing number of patients are being diagnosed with a rare eye infection that can cause blindness. Research appearing in the British Journal of Ophthalmology shows that some people who wear contact lenses are at risk of exposure to Acanthamoeba keratitis, a microscopic amoeba that infects the cornea. The amoebas are often found in water; people who rinse their lenses with water rather than solution are at a heightened risk. The infection is more common in the U.K.

“We think any water exposure is a risk for the disease,” John Dart, a professor at University College London, author on the study. “Unlike bacteria infections which are more common, this is 90 percent preventable.”

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“ARE CONTACT LENSES SAFE? CASES OF RARE EYE INFECTION THAT CAN CAUSE BLINDNESS MAY BE INCREASING”