 |
| Niall left his contact lenses in overnight |
A TERRIFIED teacher feared he had been left permanently BLIND after developing an ulcer on his eyeball when drunkenly falling asleep with his contact lenses in.
Frightened Niall Dumigan was left in excruciating pain when a livid red blister appeared on his cornea.
The special needs mentor described the agony as like being forced to stare directly at the sun for hours on end.
Embarrassed Niall, whose plight was recently featured on Channel 4 TV show '24 Hours In A&E', winced: "The pain was indescribable - like my eyeballs were being engulfed in flames.
"I was aware of the dangers associated with sleeping in your contacts but I'd always thought, 'Well, it can't be that bad...' How wrong I was.
"And it's so easy to forgot to take them out, especially when you've had a drink.
"I never, ever want to go through that again. Which is why I decided to have laser eye surgery instead. Now, thankfully, I don't need contacts at all."
The special needs mentor described the agony as like being forced to stare directly at the sun for hours on end.
Embarrassed Niall, whose plight was recently featured on Channel 4 TV show '24 Hours In A&E', winced: "The pain was indescribable - like my eyeballs were being engulfed in flames.
 |
| Still from when Niall appeared on the programme hours in A E |
 |
| A terrified teacher feared he was permanently blind after developing an ulcer on his eyeball |
 |
| Niall had to wear a shield over his eyes |
"And it's so easy to forgot to take them out, especially when you've had a drink.
"I never, ever want to go through that again. Which is why I decided to have laser eye surgery instead. Now, thankfully, I don't need contacts at all."
 |
| Frightened Niall Dumigan was left in excruciating pain |
Niall, originally from County Down, Northern Ireland, and now living in Clapham, south London, says he's been prescribed 'Air Optix' daily wear, monthly contacts to correct his short sightedness since was 16.
And the advice is clear - take them off at night or risk developing a corneal ulcer which, as the NHS website points out, can 'result in serious vision loss or blindness'.
It's not the first time Niall has been caught out by his lenses.
As an 18-year-old, following a boozy night out, he slept in his contact lenses, which resulted in them becoming dried-out and then stuck to his eyeball.
And the advice is clear - take them off at night or risk developing a corneal ulcer which, as the NHS website points out, can 'result in serious vision loss or blindness'.
It's not the first time Niall has been caught out by his lenses.
As an 18-year-old, following a boozy night out, he slept in his contact lenses, which resulted in them becoming dried-out and then stuck to his eyeball.
Despite enduring the pain of having an optician SCRAPING them off, Niall made the same mistake in June last year in an incident that was picked up by the Channel 4 cameras.
He explains: "My partner John and I had been celebrating at the London Pride festival.
"We'd been out on the Friday night, had a late one and I'd been drinking.
"I went to bed without taking my contacts out and I woke up on the Saturday morning realizing what I'd done. I quickly took them out and felt a little scratch as I did it.
"But in all honesty I didn't really think too much more about it.
"The football team I play for, East End Phoenix, were due to march in the main Pride parade later that day and I wanted to look my best.
He explains: "My partner John and I had been celebrating at the London Pride festival.
"We'd been out on the Friday night, had a late one and I'd been drinking.
"I went to bed without taking my contacts out and I woke up on the Saturday morning realizing what I'd done. I quickly took them out and felt a little scratch as I did it.
"But in all honesty I didn't really think too much more about it.
"The football team I play for, East End Phoenix, were due to march in the main Pride parade later that day and I wanted to look my best.
"Rather than wear my old glasses, which I hate, I put my contact lenses back in - my vanity got the better of me.
"They felt a little gritty and sore but I just thought I needed to man up a bit. It wasn't painful to begin with, I just felt a little uncomfortable.
"But as the day went on it got worse and worse, and my right eye was watering.
"At around 8pm I was sitting in fast food restaurant having a burger when I noticed it hurt every time I looked at the light. At that point I started to realize, 'Hmm, this isn't good.'"
"They felt a little gritty and sore but I just thought I needed to man up a bit. It wasn't painful to begin with, I just felt a little uncomfortable.
"But as the day went on it got worse and worse, and my right eye was watering.
"At around 8pm I was sitting in fast food restaurant having a burger when I noticed it hurt every time I looked at the light. At that point I started to realize, 'Hmm, this isn't good.'"
Niall went home, got an early night, and hoped his eyes would be fine in the morning.
But they weren't.
At 5am in the morning, the sun glinting through his curtains, Niall awoke in agony.
But they weren't.
At 5am in the morning, the sun glinting through his curtains, Niall awoke in agony.
 |
| Niall Dumigan was left in excruciating pain when a livid red blister appeared on his cornea |
He added: "It was really bad. I couldn't see anything and the pain was excruciating - one of the worst pains I've ever felt in my life.
"Imagine looking straight at the sun, but permanently. It was awful. My flatmate was working and I knew I had to try and phone John.
"But I couldn't even look at the phone because even the light from the screen was too intense.
"By this point I was pretty scared. I didn't know how bad it was and all I could think was, 'Is this it? Am I blind? Is this going to be permanent!?'" Eventually John managed to fashion a set of eye shields for Niall using a pair of swimming goggles and sheets of tinfoil and they arrived at St George's Hospital, in Tooting, at 7am.
Niall said: "John was having to lead me around A&E to make sure I didn't trip over anything, which is when I agreed to let the Channel 4 cameras follow me around.
"The whole situation was just a bit ridiculous and I didn't think they'd ever use the footage of me.
"Imagine looking straight at the sun, but permanently. It was awful. My flatmate was working and I knew I had to try and phone John.
"But I couldn't even look at the phone because even the light from the screen was too intense.
"By this point I was pretty scared. I didn't know how bad it was and all I could think was, 'Is this it? Am I blind? Is this going to be permanent!?'" Eventually John managed to fashion a set of eye shields for Niall using a pair of swimming goggles and sheets of tinfoil and they arrived at St George's Hospital, in Tooting, at 7am.
Niall said: "John was having to lead me around A&E to make sure I didn't trip over anything, which is when I agreed to let the Channel 4 cameras follow me around.
"The whole situation was just a bit ridiculous and I didn't think they'd ever use the footage of me.
"And eventually a nurse was able to inform me that I had a big ulcer on my right eye. Thankfully, in my case, it was really treatable.
"I was given painkilling eye drops first, and then antibiotic eye drops to aid the healing process, which I had to take for the next two weeks.
"I was also severely reprimanded by an ophthalmologist for being so stupid, as she scalded me, 'Well, it's your fault that you're here!' "Of course she was right - I felt an idiot having to tell work why I need the following Monday off.
"And I was lucky, I've got away with it twice. But let my situation be a warning to everyone who wears contact lenses - don't ever, ever fall asleep in them!" Niall hasn't had much luck with his peepers - in 2012 he also developed iritis, a inflammation of the eye that causes blurred vision.
Now, though, he's had LASIK , aka 'Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis', from world-class specialist eye surgeon Dr David Allamby to permanently correct his myopia.
The ten minute, virtually pain-free procedure, involves the use of a cool laser to create a very thin, precise circular "flap" in the cornea.
A surgeon then gently folds back the hinged flap to gain access to the underlying cornea before using what's known as a 'WaveLight excimer' laser to correct the short-sightedness.
The flap is then laid back in place and the cornea allowed to heal naturally.
Smiling Niall gushes: "I couldn't be happier. I sat up in after the surgery and was able to read everything on the chart in front of me. It was instant.
"I'm now hoping it'll make me a better footballer, too, as I might be able to see the ball a bit better!"
"I was given painkilling eye drops first, and then antibiotic eye drops to aid the healing process, which I had to take for the next two weeks.
"I was also severely reprimanded by an ophthalmologist for being so stupid, as she scalded me, 'Well, it's your fault that you're here!' "Of course she was right - I felt an idiot having to tell work why I need the following Monday off.
"And I was lucky, I've got away with it twice. But let my situation be a warning to everyone who wears contact lenses - don't ever, ever fall asleep in them!" Niall hasn't had much luck with his peepers - in 2012 he also developed iritis, a inflammation of the eye that causes blurred vision.
Now, though, he's had LASIK , aka 'Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis', from world-class specialist eye surgeon Dr David Allamby to permanently correct his myopia.
The ten minute, virtually pain-free procedure, involves the use of a cool laser to create a very thin, precise circular "flap" in the cornea.
A surgeon then gently folds back the hinged flap to gain access to the underlying cornea before using what's known as a 'WaveLight excimer' laser to correct the short-sightedness.
The flap is then laid back in place and the cornea allowed to heal naturally.
Smiling Niall gushes: "I couldn't be happier. I sat up in after the surgery and was able to read everything on the chart in front of me. It was instant.
"I'm now hoping it'll make me a better footballer, too, as I might be able to see the ball a bit better!"
Speaking about Niall's surgery, which costs around £4,000 and involves a local anaesthetic, Dr Allamby said: "Niall's has two scars on his eyes from previous ulcers, and is lucky these infections were not in the centre of the cornea where they would have damaged his vision.
"Failing to abide by recommended contact lens practices is extremely dangerous, yet it's a common occurrence in the UK.
"If you are prone to accidentally sleeping in your contacts, then laser eye surgery could be the answer for you, as it eradicates the need for contacts entirely.
"The risk of getting a sight-threatening bacterial infection in the eye from long-term contact lens use is far higher than it is with laser eye surgery.
"I have seen hundreds of corneal scars from contact lenses, yet never had an infection from performing LASIK."
"Failing to abide by recommended contact lens practices is extremely dangerous, yet it's a common occurrence in the UK.
"If you are prone to accidentally sleeping in your contacts, then laser eye surgery could be the answer for you, as it eradicates the need for contacts entirely.
"The risk of getting a sight-threatening bacterial infection in the eye from long-term contact lens use is far higher than it is with laser eye surgery.
"I have seen hundreds of corneal scars from contact lenses, yet never had an infection from performing LASIK."
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus