Woman Lost Her Sight After Making A Serious Mistake While Wearing Contact Lenses

A woman’s mistake while using contact lenses left her in what she described as unbearable pain, which she later compared to something even worse than giving birth. The experience completely changed how she views eye care and daily habits.

Nurse Katie Carrington, 36, was first told she needed glasses when she was just 16 years old, after struggling with her eyesight during her teenage years.

At 17, Katie, who is from Essex in the UK, decided to switch to daily disposable contact lenses. She saw them as a more convenient option than wearing glasses every day.

Many people choose contact lenses because glasses can feel inconvenient, especially during physical activity, and they can be easily lost or broken.

While some contact lenses are designed for repeated use, disposable lenses like the ones Katie wore are meant to be used once and then thrown away.

Unfortunately, Katie later explained how a “stupid” mistake with her lenses led to serious damage to her vision. At one point, doctors were unsure whether her eyesight would ever fully return.

Katie lost the vision in her right eye SWNS

Looking back on her teenage years, Katie said she slowly developed a habit of not taking her contact lenses out after nights out.

Over time, that habit became more extreme, and she began leaving her lenses in for several days and even weeks without removing them.

"I was really stupid - I misused my contact lenses," she said.

"At first, I would go to parties and not take them out at night, but then I started wearing them for excessive amounts of time."

"I'd be terrible sometimes and wear them for a week or two at a time, I'd wait until my eyes were really dry and then take them out and change them."

Explaining what drove her behavior, Katie said: "I did it out of convenience. My eyesight is pretty bad, so I just hated the fact that I'd wake up and couldn't see."

"Looking back now, I don't know why I did it."

This routine continued until one day in August 2025, when Katie woke up with eyes that felt like they were pounding and streaming. By the following morning, she was in what she described as unbearable pain.

Mom-of-four Katie said: "It was worse than giving birth. I couldn't see at all in my right eye. Doctors didn't know if my sight would come back."

Fortunately, Katie's vision returned and she is now a lot more careful SWNS

Katie said the uncertainty around her diagnosis left her completely devastated. She explained: "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."

"Daily tasks became so hard. When I was making a bottle for my baby I would spill it everywhere, and I had to focus so hard to cut things up in the kitchen."

Fortunately, Katie’s vision did return in her right eye, but the experience was enough for her to give up contact lenses for good.

"It was my fault and I take full accountability, but I didn't know the risks associated with them," she said.

She also urged others to take proper care when using contact lenses and to understand the risks involved, adding: "I urge contact lens wearers to read up about the risks. I thought it would never happen to me, because I got away with it for so long, but now I'm focused on looking after myself."