Thesis on Corneal Infections and Ocular Health I’d like to congratulate Judith Veugen on her PhD thesis titled "Sight Under Siege: Understanding Corneal Infections and Ocular Health" at Maastricht University. This is an incredibly important topic, and her research will undoubtedly contribute to the advancement of knowledge in corneal health and infection prevention. With Supervisors: Prof. dr. Mor Dickman, Prof. dr. Paul Savelkoul and Prof. dr. Rudy Nuijts Co-supervisor: Dr. ir. Petra Wolffs Care And Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI) From the Acanthamoeba Keratitis Eye Foundation, we would like to provide some remarks from a patient perspective: It’s crucial that we start standardizing the message when talking about contact lens (CL) wearers and Acanthamoeba Keratitis. The main cause of AK is the contact of CLs with water—this includes activities like showering, swimming, water sports, and even going to the sauna. It also extends to washing or storing contact lenses in water, washing CL cases with water and not letting them dry, and handling lenses with wet hands. This message needs to be loud and clear to prevent more people from experiencing the same hardships many of us have faced due to lack of awareness. The challenge of diagnosing AK cannot be understated. Around 80% of cases are misdiagnosed, and nearly 50% of those are misdiagnosed as viral infections like HPV and treated with steroids, which worsen the condition. Early diagnosis doesn’t always guarantee full recovery, as some patients even lose their eyes. We need to address the strain of the amoeba, the immune system’s response, and how treatment approaches are still highly experimental without a standardized protocol in many parts of the world. Pain management is another area where patients’ needs often go unmet. The pain caused by AK is unimaginable, and only those going through it can truly understand. Specialized pain management, not just over-the-counter medications, is essential. Psychological support is also critical to help patients cope with the trauma, emotional strain, and financial impact of this condition. Acanthamoeba Keratitis needs to be seen as a life-changing, traumatic experience by healthcare professionals. The most effective way to help patients is with empathy, taking the time to ask how they are truly doing beyond just focusing on the eye. We are looking forward to seeing how Judith’s work can help inform better practices, raise awareness, and ultimately improve the lives of those affected by ocular infections. Let’s continue to work together to ensure better care and understanding for patients everywhere. #AcanthamoebaKeratitis #CornealInfections #PhDResearch #EyeHealth #PatientAdvocacy #HealthcareEmpathy #OcularHealth #InfectiousKeratitis #AKEyeFoundation
On March 11 at 10:00 AM, Judith Veugen will defend her PhD thesis titled "𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗶𝗲𝗴𝗲: 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵" at Universiteit Maastricht. 💻 Watch the video of the PhD defence ceremony here: https://lnkd.in/eM6TxWY4 📘 Link to thesis: https://lnkd.in/eBdfxPkd **𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬** Infectious keratitis (IK) remains a significant global cause of visual impairment and blindness, despite the availability of advanced treatment options.1, 2 In the Netherlands and other Western countries, contact lens (CL) wear is the leading cause of IK.3 Conversely, in developing regions, trauma accounts for a substantial number of approximately 6 million reported corneal ulcers reported annually. Accurate identification of the causative microorganism is crucial for targeted therapy, as prompt eradication is necessary to prevent corneal destruction and vision loss resulting from microbial infiltration and the associated inflammatory response. However, diagnosing IK poses challenges due to non-specific clinical symptoms, and current diagnostic methods have inherent limitations. Culture-based techniques are time-consuming and lack sensitivity4 , while microbe-specific molecular tests cannot distinguish between viable and non-viable microorganisms and only detect a limited number of known microorganisms associated with IK.5 In this thesis various aspects are studied to improve diagnosis and treatment of IK. Supervisors: Prof. dr. Mor Dickman, Prof. dr. Paul Savelkoul and Prof. dr. Rudy Nuijts Co-supervisor: Dr. ir. Petra Wolffs #OcularHealth #CornealInfections #VisualImpairment #Blindness
