**3. Prevention**

Acanthamoeba keratitis is a potentially blinding condition of the eye, and any steps toward prevention of this disease are encouraged. It is recommended contact lens wearers to use daily disposable contact lenses to eliminate the contact lens case as a reservoir for Acanthamoeba. If daily disposable contact lens can not be used, then hydrogen peroxide cleaning solutions are preferred over the more common multipurpose solutions because of the increased efficacy of hydrogen peroxide against Acanthamoeba cysts. Planned replacement of contact lens storage cases may also help reduce contamination. It is important for eye care professionals not only to emphasize proper contact lens wear and hygiene in the prevention of infectious keratitis but also to maintain a high clinical suspicion for Acanthamoeba keratitis because an early diagnosis may lead to a better visual outcome (Tanhehco & Colby, 2010). The use of surfactant cleaner has been shown to be an effective way of removing Acanthamoeba trophozoites and cysts (Kilvington, 1993). In the light of these findings further research into the types of disinfectant used by patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis is required, with a view to calculating the relative risks of different lens type and disinfectant combinations. This series also show the importance of the fact that contact lens practitioners should ensure at the time of prescribing lenses that patients have understood all the disinfectant procedures (Illingworth et al., 1995). Gray et al. suggest leaving contact lens case open to dry air after heat disinfection. If hydrogen peroxide disinfection is the preferred solution, one has to use a two step hydrogen peroxide system. It is necessary to call one's attention to wash hands properly before handling contact lens cases and what is more important is to avoid homemade saline. The contact lens case should be replaced regularly. Nowadays the use of more frequently disposable contact lenses is highly recommended (Gray et al., 1995). Also the rub and rinse step should be mentioned as the critical part of the disinfection that may reduce significantly the microbiological load (Shih et al., 1985). Detailed education of contact lens wearers concerning of the entire disinfection procedure could reduce the incidence of Acanthamoeba keratitis further on. There is a persistent need to educate contact lens wearers continuously about the possible risk factors of Acanthamoeba keratitis, and since the frequency of Acanthamoeba keratitis appears to be largely determined by the ever changing trends in contact lens use, continued monitoring is indicated (Radford et al., 1998). All of the eye care practitioners have to call attention of all contact lens users to aware the wearing of soft contact lenses in case of swimming so as to reduce the number of patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis (Kaji et al., 2005; Kettesy et al., 2010). If even a soft contact lens wearer wants to swim, then daily disposable contact lens and swimming spectacles should be used.
