Contrary to popular belief, it is not safe to swim with contact lenses. Wearing contacts in the pool can lead to serious eye infections, which could result in blindness and even death. The chlorine in public pools can break down the lens material, making your eyes more susceptible to bacteria or other microorganisms that are found in water. In some cases, wearing contacts while swimming has led to corneal ulcers and keratitis – both of which can cause permanent damage if left untreated.
Swimming with contact lenses may cause infections
The chlorine can get into the lenses and irritate your eyes, causing watery eyes, redness, and burning sensation. This can be a sign of an infection such as conjunctivitis (pink eye), or it could just be your contact lenses irritating the surface of your corneas. Bacterias trapped between your eyes and contact lenses can lead to a staph infection, which is particularly dangerous for contact lens wearers.
Contact lenses will dissolve in pool water
Contact lenses are made of plastic that will dissolve in chlorine or salt water, which is bad for your eye health. By time, your lenses will lose their shapes, and can even cause an ulcer on your cornea. Depend on the quality of your lenses, some lenses are reported to be disfigured in 2 swim sessions, some may last longer, but it’s always a terrible idea to bring contact lenses to a swimming pool.
If you go swimming with contact lenses, it’s more likely that they’ll slip out of place. Best case scenario, your lenses will fall out somewhere near you. Because lenses are small and translucent, it’s most likely you won’t be able to find your precious and expensive lenses. Worst case scenarion, you might get your contact lens stuck in your eye and it can’t be taken out without medical help.
Alternative options
Prescription swimming goggles are your best choice if you have to wear contact lenses when going for a swim.
A lot of people might not know that there’s such thing as prescription swimming goggles! The lenses in prescription swimming goggles are usually a reasonably close match to your exact prescription, especially people with near-sighted eyes will benefit the most from prescription swimming goggles.
You can find them at most stores in the sports section (or online). These prescription swimming goggles cost around $20-$40 per pair and work like regular goggles but have lenses adjusted to your eyes.
If you’re near-sighted and you don’t have a large difference between 2 eyes, then a Speedo Swim Goggles Optical Vanquisher 2.0 is your best choice. They’re inexpensive, durable, and like any other Speed Vanquisher, they’re the best.
If you need something more customization, then a pair of Hilco Vantage Adult Prescription Swim Goggle is your best bet, as they allow you to use different lenses in the same goggle.
If you swim with contact lenses, what should you do afterwards?
- Take your contact lenses out and put them in the case with fresh solution.
- Rinse off any water that may have gotten on or inside of your contacts before putting them back into their original container.
- Disinfect the lens surface, if necessary, using a pre-moistened sterile towelette such as saline moistened wipes. If you don’t have one of these, just use an alcohol prep pad instead; however make sure it’s not too wet so it doesn’t dissolve the foil covering.
- Use eye-drops, such as Rohto Cool, to clean your eyes from any residue & bacterias.
Final thoughts
It is not safe to swim with contact lenses. While they are a great invention for people who have vision problems, there are only risks from wearing contact lenses when swimming – especially when you consider how much it costs to get new contacts every month or so.