A mum who lost an eye to a fungal infection she claims was caused by a contact lens is urging others to think about the risks before wearing them.

Jacqui Stone underwent 22 operations in 2012 as doctors battled to save her left eye, but it eventually had to be removed following fears the aggressive infection, caused by the fungus Fusarium, would enter her brain.

Mrs Stone, 44, who used to work at Tabor Academy in Braintree but is now at a training centre at Abberton resevoir, now wears a prosthetic eye.

Since her ordeal, the mother-of-two, of Capel Close, Rayne, has been campaigning to raise awareness about the potential dangers of wearing contact lenses and aiming to have the potential danger of fungal and acanthamoeba infections printed in information leaflets.

She said: ”If you want to wear contact lenses then it’s up to you but people need to know that there is a risk when using them."

See this week's Braintree and Witham Times for the full story.