When you're an avid swimmer wearing contact lenses, 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 underwater while wearing contact lenses, they can squeeze and infect your eye. Keep water out of your eyes and lenses with goggles. 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 are snug enough to prevent water from getting in before jumping.
Keep your eyes dry
When you don't want to wear goggles, choose activities that don't involve splashing so that the water doesn't inadvertently end up in your eyes while you're swimming. Use relaxed swimming motions that keep your head above the water at all times and close your eyes as much as possible. When you shower when entering or leaving the pool, close your eyes and keep your face dry ; Tap water can be as dangerous as swimming pool water. The same goes for using a hot tub , if your pool has a fence to warm you up after swimming.
Change your lenses immediately
If you're going to be swimming with contact lenses, even if you don't think water will splash on your face, remove your contact lenses as soon as you get home. With daily lenses, the kind you throw away every night, go ahead and replace them. When you use those that are not disposable, take them out and clean them with the cleaning solution recommended by your ophthalmologist. You can put some lenses back in after you've cleaned them, while others need to soak in overnight.
When to seek treatment?
Even with the best precautions, problems can arise when you swim while wearing your lenses. If you notice redness, swelling, or pain in your eyes shortly after swimming, see your ophthalmologist right away. Even a short delay can lead to longer recovery times or more serious consequences, such as loss of vision in an infected eye. The symptoms may be basic irritation from the chemicals in the water, but only your ophthalmologist can diagnose it with greater confidence.
