When you're an avid contact-wearing swimmer, getting into that quick dip gets a little trickier. Since the risk of eye infection is present, it is best to remove your contact lenses before getting into the pool. However, if you choose to use them, take a few steps to make sure your eyes stay healthy and talk to your ophthalmologist about proper safety and hygiene procedures.
3 tips for swimming with contact lenses in the pool
look through glasses
Even in chlorinated water, dangerous bacteria and other organisms can thrive. If you open your eyes under water while wearing contact lenses, they can squash and infect your eye. Keep water out of eyes and contact lenses with safety glasses. These can be the small glasses that have separate pieces for each eye or the larger style that has a large viewing area. Make sure the goggles fit enough to keep out water before you jump.
keep your eyes dry
When you don't want to wear goggles, choose activities that don't involve splashing so water doesn't inadvertently get in your eyes while swimming. Use relaxed swimming strokes that keep your head above water at all times and close your eyes as much as possible. When showering after entering or leaving the pool, close your eyes and keep your face dry ; tap water can be just as dangerous as pool water. The same applies to using a hot tub , if your pool has one to warm up after swimming.
Change your lenses immediately
If you're going swimming with contact lenses, even if you don't think water will splash on your face, remove them as soon as you get home. With daily disposable lenses, the kind you throw away each night, go ahead and replace them. When using non-disposable lenses, remove them and clean them with the cleaning solution recommended by your eye doctor. You can reinsert some lenses after cleaning, while others need to be soaked overnight.
When to seek treatment?
Even with the best precautions, problems can arise when swimming while wearing contact lenses. If you notice redness, swelling, or pain in your eyes shortly after swimming, consult your ophthalmologist immediately. Even a short delay can lead to longer recovery times or more serious consequences, such as vision loss in an infected eye. The symptoms could be basic irritation from chemicals in the water, but only your ophthalmologist can make a definitive diagnosis.