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Swimming and Contact Lenses
May 12, 2011
As summer approaches, I get many requests from people desiring to wear contact lenses in order to be able to wear stylish sunglasses. This is usually easy to do and it is fun to change up our appearances. But while you may be looking forward to sitting around the pool or on the beach with your new eyewear, you need to be aware of some potential hazards.
Contact lenses should not be worn when swimming. Bathing beauties that simply like to soak up the sun are fine to wear the lenses, just be sure to avoid getting sunblock in your eyes. But the real swimmers who turn into fish in the water should think twice. Wearing contacts while you swimming can greatly increase your risk of nasty eye infections.
Here are the reasons why you may be at risk swimming with contacts. One, swimming waters (pools, oceans or lakes) are not sanitized. I’m sure you are all aware of this fact. In addition to viruses and bacteria, it is also possible to get an amoeba infection in some instances. Two, the water causes the lenses to actually stick to your eyes more. Due to the chemistry of osmolarity, the water is more dense with particles than your tears are, therefore, the H2O atoms in the tears are more attracted to the particles than to stay on your eyes. This causes the stickiness of the lenses to increase and tighten to your eyes. Three, when the amount of tears on your eyes decreases, the tears are unable to flush/wash the contact lenses with normal blinking. This also increases the infection factor.
These dynamics are all in play even if you keep your eyes closed underwater. Enough water continues to drip into the eyes from your eyebrows, skin and hair that the risk continues to be high. “But what if I wear goggles?” you ask? Goggles help but they are not seal proof. If you can put a million bacteria on the head of a pin, just imagine how many there may be in an entire drop of water!
If you have every intention to keep your contacts in the case on a swimming day, but simply forget - take heart. Remove your contact lenses as soon as possible after you’re done in the surf. Be sure to lubricate your eyes first with one or two drops of a rewetting solution to get the lenses unstuck. Then disinfect your lenses in fresh contact lens solution for the required amount of time. Even if you put your contacts back in after disinfecting them, clean your case and change your solution again when you take them out at night. You never want to reuse used contact lens solution. With this information in mind you will have a happier and healthier summer.
