British man loses his eye to an infection from Pattaya

People complain that travel to Thailand these days costs an arm and leg, but for one British man, it cost an eye too. A dream trip to the kingdom was ruined for Raymond Kay by a fungal infection that required removing his eye. The 68 year old man was on holiday in Pattaya when he felt pain that became excruciating.

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He thought at first it was just a contact lens so he took it out and cleaned it, but it didn’t help and the pain only got worse. After four days he went to a local clinic and got eye drops. But even those didn’t help and eventually the pain was bad enough that he decided to cancel his trip and head home for treatment.

The retired plumber and father of four flew back to the UK and went to the popular optometry chain Specsavers to get their advice. They sent him straight to the hospital. He spent Christmas Day getting tested and treated, with swabs, medication, and eye tests. The prognosis wasn’t good.

Doctors diagnosed his eye pain as a fungal infection and Raymond would need a cornea transplant. He had the transplant surgery on New Year’s Eve. But in a matter of months, the cornea came loose.

Doctors then conceded that his eye would have to be removed.

Fungal infections usually come from an eye injury, especially when a plant part like a thorn or stick causes damage. They can be exacerbated by contact lens use, and Raymond thinks the 30-day lenses he has used for four years played a part in his loss. But he has no idea how he might have picked up the fungus in the first place. He lamented the pain and the loss of his eye, as well as the problems he is still facing now.

“It was excruciating pain, it was 24/7. The eye looked like it had a white mark in the centre. I now have a fake eye. Everything is half as good as it used to be but you get used to it. It’s hard at first because you lose your peripheral vision. After the surgery, I started to lose vision in my good eye too. I had to get a cataract removed. Now I have to have a laser because the scar tissue behind the lens is starting to fog over. It’s a constant worry for me.”

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