Swimming And Contact Lens Safety

Few contact lens wearers are going to want to give their lenses up during the summer, and wear glasses instead. Indeed, glasses that get wet aren't nearly as functional as those that aren't, as the droplets of water obscure your vision. Not to mention the fact that losing your glasses underwater would be a terrible nuisance. 

Yet it's important to realize that contact lenses require a lot more care during those hot months — particularly if you love to go swimming. In this article, we'll explore contact lens safety while swimming, and look at other potential hazards contact lens wearers may encounter during the summer.

Swimming With Contacts — What Precautions Should You Take?

Four years ago, I finally switched to contact lenses after wearing glasses since my early teens. The experience was liberating. I could finally see all around me, and not just straight ahead. My vision was clearer with lenses than it ever was with glasses, and I thought I looked much nicer too.

Though contact lenses are liberating to most people with vision problems, they also have limitations and come with certain responsibilities. Contact lenses are not suitable for every situation. Jennie Hurst from England found this out the hard way when she contracted a bacterial infection after going swimming. Last year, she was all over the British news after she went blind in one eye. The irony? Hurst always took meticulous care of her contact lenses and eyes. She just never knew that swimming might put her at risk, until it was too late.

Hurst fell victim to the Acanthamoeba organism, a microbe that can attach itself to contact lenses and lead to an inflammation and infection of the cornea. This condition is known as Acanthamoeba keratitis, and it can lead to permanent damage and even blindness, as happened to Hurst. It is specifically associated with wearing lenses while swimming, but is far from the only hazard you may encounter if you were to make this choice, too.

Everyone who has worn glasses knows that they are quite irritating when you go for a swim. Water droplets get onto the lenses, making it hard to see, and they can fall off too. Going swimming without either lenses or glasses isn't very appealing to those with bad eyesight either. You want to be able to see while you swim, after all, and when you emerge from the water. What can you do to stay safe while still enjoying yourself, then?

Maximizing Your Safety While Swimming With Lenses

Do you wear soft contacts? Wearing goggles while you go swimming is the obvious answer for those who want to maximize their safety, comfort, and eyesight. They'll enable you to open your eyes under water without being worried, and prevent water from splashing into your eyes even if you don't want to dive.

Those who do want to take the risk of going swimming with soft contacts without goggles can still take some steps to be safer. Take your contact lens fluid with you when you go swimming, and clean your lenses thoroughly if any water gets into your eyes. Better still, purchase daily lenses that you can discard after you are done swimming, so that any micro-organisms that attached to the lenses don't come anywhere near your eyes again. Soft lenses can be dried out by fresh water as well, so wearing daily disposable lenses additionally means you don't cut the lifespan of your more expensive contacts that were meant for longer-term usage short.

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are more likely to come out of your eye while you are swimming, so avoid swimming with them altogether if you don't want your lenses to get lost.

Other Contact Lens Hazards You May Face During The Summer

Lens wearers need to be aware of safety hazards beyond swimming. If you want to protect your eyes from irritation and damage this summer, take note of the following dangers and take appropriate precautions.

I've found that the life of my lenses is shorter during the hot summer months than it is in the winter — they dry out, and become smaller than they initially were. The sun is one obvious culprit you can protect your lenses from by wearing sun glasses. Air conditioning doesn't do your lenses much good either, though, so make sure air co doesn't blow directly onto your face. Realize that your lenses may not last as long as they would in different weather conditions, even if you take these precautions. When your lenses become uncomfortable or look smaller, or when they simply become "distorted" in shape, don't carry on wearing them and simply open another pair of contacts.

UV rays are another hazard. Again, sun glasses are the answer. Do you hate sun glasses or simply don't want to wear them all the time? You may not know that there is such a thing as UV blocking contact lenses. Ask your optician about them if you are interested in keeping your eyes safe, and look for lenses with Class 1 UV protection. These block as much of 96 percent of UVA rays, and 100 percent of UVB rays.

While we are talking about sun screen, it is good to note that you should make sure you don't get sun screen in your eyes while you are wearing lenses. This is a painful experience that can also cause severe irritation. Wash your hands right after applying sun screen. Do make sure to use a non-dripping sun screen on your face as well, so drops of sweat don't fall into your eyes.

Finally, it is always good to note that spring and summer allergies form another potential problem for contact lens wearers, so swimming pools are not the only issue during the hotter months of the year. If this applies to you, antihistamine eye drops are a good idea. You may be able to obtain them over the counter without a prescription, but it is best to have a chat with your optician before you start using these eye drops. When they are used in the right way, they can save you from itchy and irritated eyes, and enable you to wear your lenses throughout the year when you would otherwise have been forced to wear glasses, instead.

Do you have any other questions about swimming with contacts, or other potential problems you may come across during the summer? Or do you have irritated and inflamed eyes all of a sudden? Remember that your optician is an excellent ally. Don't struggle with contact-related problems by yourself, and always ask questions if you are unsure about anything. In the meantime, remove your lenses and temporarily wear glasses if you have any discomfort whatsoever.