21-year-old wellness coach diagnosed with parasite eating her cornea

According to People, 21-year-old wellness coach Vivian Nosovitsky, who lives in a small Mexican beach town, was diagnosed with acanthamoeba keratitis after an infection began as mild eye irritation and progressed to severe pain and corneal damage.

The problem began when she woke at 2 a.m. with intense eye pain, watering, swelling and extreme light sensitivity; drops from a small urgent care provided no relief. After doctors at a larger hospital treated an ulcer and her eye worsened, she traveled to Querétaro for specialist care, where a corneal scraping and lab results confirmed the rare parasitic infection. She later learned the parasite likely entered through tap water and an opening caused by contact lens use, and treatment has required medicated eye drops every hour, constant darkness and has left her temporarily unable to see from her right eye.

Nosovitsky documented the ordeal on TikTok, where the videos amassed millions of views and drew support to her GoFundMe and messages from the community. She says she hopes for healing and urged people to take contact lens hygiene seriously; she also said recovery could mean avoiding surgery or accepting a longer road to recovery and credited local and online community care for getting her through the worst moments.

Key Topics

Health, Vivian Nosovitsky, Acanthamoeba Keratitis, Contact Lenses, Tap Water, Queretaro