Anyone who wears contact lenses understands the importance of making sure your lenses are clean, especially on holiday.
The last thing you want to do is get an eye infection whilst you’re abroad. But, let’s be honest, how many times have you slept with your contact lenses still in?
And not only that, I’m sure you’ve taken a dip in the pool with your lenses a few times too. It might seem harmless but swimming with your lenses in can do serious damage to the health of your eyes.
Nimmi Mistry, professional services optician at Vision Direct explains that “water contains bacteria, whether it is water from your tap, the sea or swimming pools, and contact lenses are exceptionally porous and absorbent.”
This combination means that bacteria is more likely to spread on the surface of the contact lens when exposed to water, increasing the potential risk of sight-threatening eye infections.
“Unfortunately, the chlorine in swimming pools won’t kill all pathogens, and can act as a mild irritant to the eye too. As soft lenses are exceptionally porous, the bacteria and the chlorine in pool water can still easily reach and harm your eyes,” Mistry says.
Wild swimming or water sports in the sea, lakes, and rivers can create even more issues for your eyes, according to Mistry.“This is because natural bodies of water are usually teeming with bacteria that are not killed off by pool chemicals,” she adds.
Acanthamoeba is one of the most dangerous organisms found in these sources – it can result in a rare but serious eye infection, Acanthamoeba keratitis.
“If left untreated, this infection may lead to inflammation of the cornea, resulting in vision loss and sight-threatening complications down the line,” Mistry adds.
If you do want to swim whilst still being able to see, Mistry suggests opting for some daily disposable contact lenses under tight-fitting waterproof swimming goggles. “Throw the lenses away afterward or, better yet, purchase prescription goggles and forgo the lenses in the pool altogether,” she says.
Doctor Vicki Chan agrees with Mistry, stating that you are at a very high risk of infection when swimming with contact lenses.
“Remove your contact lenses when you swim and put them back on after or you could wear goggles while you’re swimming, you just don’t want the water to contact your contact lenses directly,” Chan says.