Department News

Charlotte Joslin, OD receives UIC funding for study of recent increase in rare corneal infection

The Campus Research Board, a UIC institution established to support junior faculty research, has awarded Dr. Charlotte Joslin funds to study a recent increase in cases of a rare corneal infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis.

Acanthamoeba keratitis is a severe, painful infection of the cornea – which is located at the front of eye - that usually causes corneal scarring and sometimes blindness. It is caused by the amoeba Acanthamoeba, and it is believed that exposure to contaminated water allows the waterborne amoeba to transfer into the eye. The condition develops among contact lens wearers, especially those who wear contact lenses while swimming in lake water or who have poor lens hygiene. It is extremely rare in the United States , with only 1.65 to 2.01 cases per million contact lens wearers diagnosed nationally each year.

However, there have been thirty-five cases diagnosed in the Cornea Service at The University of Illinois at Chicago by either Elmer Tu , MD or Joel Sugar , MD in the last two years alone. Due to the recent drastic increase in diagnosed cases and their inconsistency with previously understood risk factors, Dr. Joslin and colleagues have begun to hypothesize that the water supply for the Chicago-Gary-Kenosha Metropolitan area may be contributing to the rise in Acanthamoeba keratitis cases. She bases this theory on research from the United Kingdom , where rates of Acanthamoeba keratitis are significantly higher than in the U.S. Researchers in the UK have identified domestic tap water as a source of infection through DNA analysis.

Dr. Joslin’s study will investigate the outbreak source through a case-control study utilizing both patient-answered questionnaires as well as water sample analysis from the subject’s home for the presence of Acanthamoeba. Further water sample analysis will attempt to match corneal and water sample Acanthamoeba strains by typing the molecular genetics of the various Acanthamoeba isolates. The study also includes plans to develop an electronic survey and tracking system for corneal sub-specialists nationally which will determine other geographic areas experiencing increased cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis.