Mother-of-four is left blind in one eye after a vision-robbing amoeba latched onto her cornea after she went swimming while wearing her contact lenses

Stacey Peoples, 49, from Denver, Colorado, was unable to see out of her left eye for months after she became infected with the rare acanthamoeba keratitis.

She was rushed to hospital during Independence Day weekend 2014 when the agony became so intense she was unable to get out of bed.

With her eye clouded over 'like a zombie's', Mrs Peoples' begged doctors just to remove the eye and end her suffering but the medics fought hard to save it.

Mrs Peoples' was forced to use 'pool cleaner' eye drops to kill the infection every couple of hours for several months.

In agony and unable to see out of her left eye at all, Mrs Peoples' even questioned whether she wanted to be alive.

However, in April 2015, the school administrator underwent a cornea transplant, which has restored her vision to 20/20 with glasses.

Speaking of the Independence Day weekend, Mrs Peoples said: 'When we got to the cabin for fourth of July weekend I just went straight to bed.

'The pain was so intense. It felt like someone was snapping a rubber band against my eyeball every four or five seconds.

'The back of my eye felt like it was going to blow out the back of my brain.'

Mrs Peoples also developed a severe migraine, as well as a constantly watering eyes and nose.
'I didn't know it was possible to produce this much fluid,' she said. 'My eye looked like a zombie's.

'It was completely cloudy and the whites of my eye was bright red and so gross.'

Mrs Peoples' pain became so intense she had to be rushed to hospital in Traverse City, Michigan, where medics were initially baffled as to what was wrong.

'They booked me an appointment with a cornea specialist and after she looked in my eye she went to consult medical books. It was very worrying,' she said.

'She told me she believed I had an amoeba, and while I was relieved they finally had some idea of what was going on, I didn't know what I was in for.

'She said, "We have to try and save the eye and worry about vision later".

The pain was so extreme, Mrs Peoples even asked the doctors to remove her eye, however, the medics insisted they try and save it.

'I had lost my vision completely by this point. All I could see was white,' she said.

To kill the infection, Mrs Peoples had to apply eye drops every two hours for five months, with her agony meaning she was unable to stray far from her bed.

While fighting the illness, she was also forced to take a seven-month leave from her job.

'I was prescribed eye drops, which essentially contain pool cleaner to kill the parasite. I had to put these into my eyes every two hours for months,' Mrs Peoples said.

'I was using the drops every two hours until December, and for those months I moved from my bed to my rocking chair and back again. I couldn't do anything else.

'I had two or three very dark days where I thought this pain is too much, it would be better if I wasn't here.'

However, by April the next year Mrs Peoples' luck had changed when she underwent a cornea transplant at the Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette.

And just one day later, she was able to see again.

Speaking of the procedure, Mrs Peoples said: 'They removed my damaged cornea and replaced it.

'When the patch came off two days after the surgery, it was amazing. I went into hospital unable to see and then came out and could see so clearly.

'It's been wonderful. I have a little bit of trouble with depth perception but with glasses I have 20/20 vision.

'I'm a huge advocate of organ donation now because this wouldn't be able to see if not for my generous donor.'

Following her ordeal, Mrs Peoples is warning others to avoid wearing contacts in water.

'The reason I am sharing my story is to warn people not to wear their contacts in water or even in the shower,' she said.

'This is rare but it can happen. Even if you've been doing it for 20 years like me.

'Doctors tell you not to do it. My doctors think I picked this up in the pool while wearing my contacts.

'I'm just lucky I have such a wonderful family. Otherwise I would never have gotten through this.'

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 85 per cent of acanthamoeba keratitis cases occur in contact-lens users.

Contact lenses can create small abrasions in the eye, which make it easier for the amoeba to attach when the eye comes into contact with water.

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter