A woman experienced excruciating eye pain after making a mistake with her contact lenses, describing it as ‘unbearable’ and ‘worse than giving birth’.
Katie Carrington, a 36-year-old nurse, discovered she needed glasses at the age of 16.
At 17, Katie, who hails from Essex, UK, started wearing daily disposable contact lenses as an alternative to wearing glasses.
Many individuals prefer contact lenses since they eliminate the risk of losing or breaking glasses, especially during physical activities.
Although some contact lenses are designed for reuse, the disposable lenses Katie chose are intended for single-use only.
Unfortunately, Katie recounted how an oversight regarding her lenses led to serious vision health issues, leaving doctors uncertain about her full recovery.
As a teenager, Katie admitted she developed a habit of not removing her lenses after nights out.
Eventually, this escalated to wearing her contacts for days or even weeks without removal.
“I was really stupid – I misused my contact lenses,” she admitted.
“Initially, I would attend parties and not remove them at night, but later, I wore them for excessive periods.
“I’d sometimes leave them in for up to two weeks, only changing them when my eyes were extremely dry.”
Katie explained her actions, saying: “It was out of convenience. My eyesight is very poor, and I disliked waking up unable to see.
“Reflecting now, I can’t understand why I acted that way.”
This behavior persisted until August 2025, when Katie awoke to find her eyes ‘pounding and streaming’, and the following day, she was in ‘unbearable pain’.
The mother of four recalled: “It was worse than giving birth. I couldn’t see at all in my right eye. Doctors were unsure if my sight would return.”
Katie was heartbroken by this news, saying: “I was so depressed, thinking I wouldn’t get to see my kids growing up.
“Even though it was just one eye, I felt like all my independence had been taken away from me.
“Simple tasks became much harder. Preparing a bottle for my baby would result in spills, and I had to concentrate intensely to cut things in the kitchen.”
Thankfully, Katie’s vision returned in her right eye, and she has since vowed never to wear contacts again.
“I accept full responsibility, but I wasn’t aware of the risks involved,” she stated.
She advises others to be informed about proper contact lens usage, saying: “I urge contact lens users to educate themselves about the risks. I thought it wouldn’t affect me because I got away with it for so long, but now I’m committed to taking care of myself.”