A Bali Holiday That Turned Into a Medical Emergency
For most visitors, Bali's pools and surf breaks are a highlight of any long stay. For Matt Flack, a 38-year-old photographer from Colchester, Essex, they became the likely source of a sight-threatening eye infection that has upended his life since returning home.
Flack spent two months on the island swimming, surfing, and exercising, often while wearing his daily disposable contact lenses. Near the end of his trip, his left eye became red, watery, and uncomfortable, sensations he initially put down to sand or saltwater. After flying back to the UK on 10 July, the symptoms worsened sharply: extreme light sensitivity, near-constant watering, and an inability to open the eye fully.
Doctors eventually diagnosed him with acanthamoeba keratitis, a rare but serious infection caused by a microscopic single-celled organism that attacks the cornea. According to Healthy WA, acanthamoeba is found in a wide range of water sources, including freshwater, tap water, seawater, and even chlorinated swimming pools. The organism typically enters the eye through a small corneal scratch, a risk that rises significantly when contact lenses are worn in water.
What Acanthamoeba Keratitis Actually Does
The condition can produce intense pain, blurred vision, redness, excessive watering, and sensitivity to light. In serious cases it causes permanent vision damage. Flack is now on an intensive course of medicated eye drops and has been told that if the infection resists treatment, he may require corneal transplants or repeated surgery. In the worst-case scenario, he could lose the eye entirely.
"There's a huge fear that I'll become blind in that eye," he told People magazine, as first reported by The Nightly. "To find out I've got something that could potentially take one of (my eyes) away is petrifying."
Flack, who has worn daily contact lenses for more than two decades, acknowledges he had never fully considered the risk. "I've done a lot of swimming in pools in Bali and had contacts in. It's one of those things I've never really thought about," he said. His key message to other travellers: daily disposables offer no special protection. "It's important for contact lens wearers to realise just because you wear dailies doesn't mean you're safe."
Practical Steps for Travellers Who Wear Contacts
The core precaution is straightforward: remove contact lenses before entering any body of water, including hotel pools, the ocean, and freshwater rivers or lakes. Prescription swimming goggles or a separate pair of glasses kept dry at the pool edge are practical alternatives. Travellers should also avoid rinsing lenses or lens cases with tap water, which can also carry the organism.
Anyone who develops persistent redness, unusual light sensitivity, or a gritty sensation in the eye after water activities should seek medical attention promptly rather than waiting for symptoms to resolve on their own. Early diagnosis significantly improves outcomes for acanthamoeba keratitis.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Independent accommodation operators in Bali who manage pools, villas, or surf retreats have a low-cost opportunity here: place a small, clearly worded notice near pool entrances reminding guests to remove contact lenses before swimming. A brief mention in a welcome guide or pre-arrival message costs nothing and could prevent a guest from facing a serious medical situation. Guests who feel genuinely looked after by their hosts remember it, and a simple safety reminder is one concrete way to demonstrate that care.
Details of Matt Flack's case were first reported by The Nightly.
First reported by thenightly.com.au.