text: A photographer has described the horror of being left almost completely blind in one eye by her contact lens. Lucy Garrod, now 27, developed an ulcer known as a corneal abrasion, caused by a bacterial infection which grew under her right lens. Miss Garrod had been wearing contact lenses since she was 15 with no problems, but woke up one day with an itchy and irritable right eye. Lucy Garrod, 27, was left partially blind in her right eye after bacteria began growing underneath her contact lens, causing an ulcer known as a corneal abrasion . Miss Garrod had worn contact lenses for 12 years with no problem, but woke up one morning feeling as though her eye was 'the size of a golf ball' Miss Garrod feared she would not be able to carry on with her photography degree due to going partially blind in one eye. But she learned to take photographs with her left eye and passed with first class honours . She said it felt like it had swollen to the size of a golf ball, and rushed to see her GP, who prescribed drops. A few days later her eye was still swollen and bloodshot so she went to hospital, where tests revealed the corneal abrasion. Doctors said the ulcer was growing on the surface of her eye, millimetres away from permanently blinding her. She spent a week in hospital, where medics broke the news that she was still partially blind. As a result, she feared she would not be able to complete the last year of her photography degree. Determined not to give up, she taught herself how to take photographs with her left eye, and passed her degree with first class honours. Fortunately, laser eye surgery was later able to restore her sight. Miss Garrod, a freelance photographer living in London, said: 'That day I'd put my lenses in late that morning, but by 4pm my eye was aching. 'It was itchy and usually if you rub it, it was okay. 'But that day I had a sharp shooting pain, the worst I'd ever experienced. 'Two hours later I took my lenses out and removed my make-up, thinking it might be irritating my eye, but there was no relief. Corneal abrasions are a small scratch on the cornea, the clear window at the front of the eye. They are generally a result of injury to the surface of the eye. Common causes include a fingernail scratching the eye, walking into something, and getting grit in the eye, particularly if the eye is then rubbed. It can also be caused by certain eye conditions, including trachoma, a bacterial infection. Injuries can also be caused by contact lens being put in and removed from the eye. Abrasions are very painful because there are many nerves that supply the cornea. The pain gets better as your eye heals, but this can take between 24 and 48 hours. If the abrasion involves the central part of your cornea, your vision could also be temporarily affected. Apart from the pain, your eye might be watery, red and sensitive to light. If your eye becomes increasingly red or painful after treatment or your sight becomes much more blurred, see an eye doctor again or contact the hospital. Source: Moorfields Eye Hospital . 'I could close my eye and thought that might take the pain away but it didn't and straining gave me a headache. 'I was awake most of the night.' The next morning Miss Garrod, who is originally from Jersey, looked in the mirror and found her eye was swollen. She said: 'It felt like size of a golf ball. 'My GP said I could have conjunctivitis but I'd had it before. 'It made my eye itchy but this felt worse, painful.' She was given eye drops, which she used for a couple of days until the pain got worse and she went to Beckenham Hospital, where she was given cream to soothe her eyes. However, just two days later her eye was so bloodshot she went back to hospital. Tests showed she had a corneal abrasion, an ulcer on her eye, caused by bacteria getting under her lens. Because her eye was so sensitive she spent a week in a dark room, a nurse coming in every half an hour, 24 hours a day, to give her eyes drops. 'The pain was under control but I was so bored,' she recalled. Next, doctors broke the news that she had lost sight in her right eye, due to the ulcer's position. She said: 'The good news was if the ulcer had been millimetres over I would have lost my sight completely. 'As it was slightly off centre, I would be left partially sighted in that eye. 'But I'd got used to that. My vision had been blurred since my eye first itched.' Miss Garrod was terrified she might not be able to complete the second and third years of her photography degree at Bournemouth University. After she was discharged from hospital she had to learn to use her left eye to take pictures. Previously she had used her right eye to do this, but she couldn't now she was partially sighted in that eye. She was told she would not be able to have laser surgery to fix it as it required cutting a flap in the lens, which was not strong enough for the procedure and would tear. Miss Garrod was forced to spend a week in hospital where nurses put drops in her eye every half an hour for 24 hours. Fortunately, years later she had laser eye surgery to restore the sight in her eye . Miss Garrod struggled with her photography course as she was partially blinded in one eye. She says her friend Bex (left) helped he take notes and assisted her on shoots . A specialist then suggested she could 'piggy back' her lenses, to improve her sight in that eye. It meant wearing a hard lens directly on her eye as a softer one would sink in to the ulcer, then putting a soft lens on top of that. Miss Garrod said: 'I'd have to get used to wearing two lenses so I said, "I'll just wear glasses." For the next month Miss Garrod continued to use the drops and creams she had been given, to help her eye heal. She said: 'My eye was uncomfortable and still watering. 'I struggled with my uni course and had to teach myself how to use my left eye to take photos as my right one was blurry. 'My tutor said I should take a year out but I refused and stuck it out. 'My best friend, who was on my course, helped me take notes and assisted me with photo shoots. Without her I wouldn't have got through it. 'Then my dad found a specialist who suggested a stronger hard lens to improve my sight.' It meant Miss Garrod could complete her degree and gain a first class honours. She wore the hard lenses for the next few years. However the sight in her right eye was still limited and the lenses started to become irritating and uncomfortable. Then, she was referred to the private London Vision Clinic, and told that in fact she could have laser surgery to renew and improve her sight in both eyes. She said: 'As I'd been told before I wouldn't be able to have laser treatment, I thought they wouldn't be able to help.' But Miss Garrod had surgery on both eyes, to improve her left eye so she wouldn't have to wear glasses or lenses. Miss Garrod wore glasses as a young girl (pictured) but had worn contact lenses ever since she was 15 with no problems, until she developed the corneal abrasion that left her partially blind . Next, ultrasound was used to guide a laser to remove the scarred area of her right eye, while preserving the clear tissue underneath, restoring her sight in that eye. She said: 'The surgery was painless and took only a few days to heal. I was nervous but it was over in a minute and I didn't feel a thing. 'Having an infection was rubbish. 'You don't want these things to happen. 'But if it hadn't, there's no way I would have got to the clinic, where the staff were great. 'After I took out my lenses that day I threw them away but if I'd kept them I could have sent them off to find out what the bacteria was and how it caused my infection. 'I find it hard to understand how a contact lens could have damaged my eye so badly. 'I did everything right but still almost lost my sight.' Rising numbers of young people are suffering potentially devastating eye infections due to a lack of knowledge of the risks of contact lenses, say experts. Opticians advise adhering to the basic hygiene rules below, in order to protect the eyes from infection, injury and disease: . For more information and contact lens advice, visit the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) website .
target: Lucy Garrod woke up and felt her eye was very sore and swollen .
  The had a corneal abrasion - an ulcer on the eye - caused by bacteria .
  Ulcer was millimeters away from blinding her and left her partially blind .
  Feared she wouldn't be able to take photos, but learned to use her left eye .