Swimming with contact lenses - yay or nay?

Stargal · 29-09-2008 4:35pm #1

So I was at a routine check-up with my optician last week and she suggested that I start using the all-day and all-night lenses instead of my regular daily disposables. Sounded like a pretty cool idea - being able to see as soon as I wake up was especially alluring.

As a matter of course I asked her what I should do with these lenses when swimming. She looked at me sternly. "You're not really supposed to go swimming if you wear contact lenses", she said. "An infection could easily get into your eye from the water and then putting a contact lens over it will just make it worse".

Really? I'd never heard this before. When I first got my contacts over two years ago the optician advised me not to wear them in the water - but that was it. Nothing about the risk of eye infection.

I've a follow-up check later this week so I'm going to double-check about this. But to be honest, I'd be inclined to just make sure I'm wearing good goggles when I go swimming instead of avoiding it altogether.

Has anyone been told something similar from their optician? Is there anyone who actually avoids swimming altogether because of their contacts?

scuby · 29-09-2008 8:52pm

i use daily disposables for swimming, with goggles, but never had a problem...

NADA · 29-09-2008 11:35pm

I swim with the all day all night lenses in but probably shouldn't. Also optician told me the same thing about not wearing them swimming but i could still swim without them. Bull**** about the infection. Sure they are so rare!

Shamanic · 30-09-2008 10:49pm

DO NOT SWIN IN CONTACTS!
This applies too any kind of contact lenses, it is a very real risk of infection and i have seen it twice in the last year, it will more than likely render you unable to wear lenses ever again, and in some cases blindness, the infectious bacteria is in all water, fresh water pools and swimming pools,
get RX goggles to swim in, but do not do something as silly as open yourself to the risk of such a serious infection by swimming with lenses in, including when covered with goggles.

jimmay · 01-10-2008 11:06pm

Shamanic wrote: »

DO NOT SWIN IN CONTACTS!

+1

I got a serious eye infection in Turkey either from the pool or a foam party. My eyes havn't been the same since. I wasn't able to wear contacts for 4 years. I really treasure my eye sight now and am super careful when it comes to looking after them. DON'T wait untill it's too late.

endplate · 04-10-2008 10:05pm

You can develop a infection called acanthamoeba keratitis which can devastate the cornea and cause irreversible visual loss. It's extremely difficult to treat.

As shamanic said the bacteria is found in tap water and swimming pools. A few years ago there was 20 cases alone in Dublin so the risk is there.

With 24hour lenses risk of infections is greater and tend to be more serious than dailies.

So moral of the story is go and buy a pair of prescription goggles and stop gambling with your eyesight we only get 2 eyes in our lifetime

Squiggle · 23-10-2008 3:00pm

I am amazed. For fifteen years I have worn disposable monthly contact lenses showering, washing, shaving, swimming , in saunas, in steam rooms and in the pi$$ings of rain on golf courses. Never once has an optician ( and I have been to several ) advised me of the dangers of water/ contacts and catastrophic eye infections. I have got to assume that either I attended monumentally incompetent opticians, bordering on negligent, or there is a negligible incidence of such infections. From the sound of some of the comments in this thread contact lens packs should come with warnings akin to those on cigarette packs " Contacts and water can seriously damage your eye health ".

LookingFor · 23-10-2008 6:23pm

Can anyone explain why contacts increase the risk of infection from water?

Because they can 'hold' the infection in contact with the eye longer?

dosed · 24-10-2008 9:12pm

ive never heard that you should avoid swimming altogether if you wear contacts? seems a little extreme.
Ive been told by my optician to take out my contacts while swimming and just just prescription goggles to see walls/people.

For what its worth, I dont even own a pair of glasses, let alone prescription goggles (i would deffo loose them and im a student with not alot of money to burn on crap like that). And i go swimming 3/4 times a week and work at a swimming pool.

I opened my eyes for about 5 seconds underwater with lenses in once and one of them came out, so i recon thats not a good idea. (was dragging a 3yearold off the bottom of the pool, wasnt really concentrating on possible eye infections...)

littlebug · 26-10-2008 11:48pm

gosh

I've been wearing lenses for 21 years and I've never once been told this. I've often gone swimming in lenses with googles (pool and sea) and I often shower/ wash face etc with them still in. Why don't opticians tell people this as a matter of course?

LadyMayBelle · 11-11-2008 1:19am

I wear them in the pool, but rarely go underwater with them. I normally wear them into the steam room today, but when i joined a new pool/gym, i went into the steam room as normal, closed my eyes to relax for literally five seconds and realised i couldn't open again, the flippin things had almost melted and stuck my eyelids together. I did NOT think this would happen as it never had before.horrible few seconds trying not to look suspicious and trying to escape with my eyes half closed

Chris_533976 · 18-11-2008 10:53pm

Go into Vision Express etc and buy a pair of prescription swimming goggles. Dont wear contacts in the water, I've done it a few times and twice almost lost a contact around the back of my eye. Too much hassle.

Squiggle · 19-11-2008 10:38am

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Go into Vision Express etc and buy a pair of prescription swimming goggles. Dont wear contacts in the water, I've done it a few times and twice almost lost a contact around the back of my eye.

One of the common myths associated with contact lenses is that they can slide behind your eye and get lost - they can't ! However, it is possible for your contact lens to get dislodged from its centralized position and become lodged under an eyelid.

PrettyInPunk · 19-11-2008 5:23pm

Is it ok to swim with them if you dont go under the water? I dont water in my eyes cause it irritates them with the lens in and i find it really hard to get the lens out after if ive swam under water

Stargal · 19-11-2008 5:40pm

Interesting seeing the different views on this. Just for the record, I wasn't suggesting going swimming with the lenses actually in (although from the sounds of it, some people have been managing this for years! Prob not the best idea...!). My optician just outright said that it's not a great idea to even take the lenses out and then going swimming as there's a risk of infection.

dosed wrote: »

ive never heard that you should avoid swimming altogether if you wear contacts? seems a little extreme.
Ive been told by my optician to take out my contacts while swimming and just just prescription goggles to see walls/people.

Yeah, exactly. I asked for a second opinion at my optician's and this is exactly what I was told. The second optician said that the first one was just being extra-cautious but there's no need to actually avoid swimming.

littlebug wrote: »

gosh I've been wearing lenses for 21 years and I've never once been told this. I've often gone swimming in lenses with googles (pool and sea) and I often shower/ wash face etc with them still in. Why don't opticians tell people this as a matter of course?

Probably the best thing to do is to say it to your opticia next time you're there and see what they say.

PrettyInPunk wrote: »

Is it ok to swim with them if you dont go under the water? I dont water in my eyes cause it irritates them with the lens in and i find it really hard to get the lens out after if ive swam under water

Could you just take out the lenses before you get in the water rather than risking irritating them? May be the easiest solution.

Perrin · 19-11-2008 5:59pm

Is there a risk involved if your swimming in the sea?

hunnymonster · 27-11-2008 2:38pm

I'm a triathlete so don't really have a choice and have to swim with lenses in. Can you imagine stoping in transition to put lenses in before getting on the bike! I've been doing it for years without a problem but I do acknowledge that there are some small risks.

BenjAii · 27-11-2008 2:46pm

I'm another person who has been swimming a few times a week for years with my lenses in and just plain goggles, I'll have to bring this up at my next check-up, first i've ever heard of it.

asdasd · 27-11-2008 2:51pm

Its the same risk as using tap water to rinse the lens after cleaning, isnt it? That i imagine is a more common issue.

ian_m · 24-12-2008 7:50am

Nay.

Take them out if you're not going to use goggles.

bigpinkelephant · 27-12-2008 1:45am

I have been to 2 opticians and both have warned me about water and contacts (without me asking).
The way I see it, you only get one pair of eyes, so it's not worth the risk!

mikemac · 27-12-2008 1:46am

Nay

You can get prescription googles if you want.

Firetrap · 27-12-2008 7:07pm

As a poster earlier in this tread pointed out, there's a nasty amoeba called Acanthamoeba that lives in water. I remember when I first got my contacts, the optician warned me to never ever put my contacts in tap water. At the time, she said that they could only be killed by some sort of very strong chemical.

From this site: Acanthamoeba are naturally occurring amoeba (tiny, one-celled animals) commonly found in water sources, such as tap water, well water, hot tubs, and soil and sewage systems.

If these tiny parasites infect the eye, Acanthamoeba keratitis results.

also

Factors and activities that increase the risk of contracting Acanthamoeba keratitis include using contaminated tap or well water on contact lenses, using homemade solutions to store and clean contacts, wearing contact lenses in a hot tub and swimming or showering while wearing lenses.

Kidd-o · 04-01-2009 4:12am

im actually surprised that so many peoples optitions didnt tell them i get the same speil every time

"contacts THEN make up, no sleeping, snoozing, showering, swimming and always clean hands!"

but, i never did like rules, i go kayakin in the pool everyone monday and tuesday with the auld contacts in some of the lads wear glassses but thatd reck me buzz! ive never had a problem and ive swam in rivers and the sea as well as the pool...

its obviously not ideal, ideal would be 6:6 vision :P

I wear my glasses, put in the contacts before the water, when i get out they come straight off and i wash my eyes out and put the glasses back on, the best of a bad situation...

Squiggle · 05-01-2009 1:07pm

Firetrap wrote: »

As a poster earlier in this tread pointed out, there's a nasty amoeba called Acanthamoeba that lives in water. I remember when I first got my contacts, the optician warned me to never ever put my contacts in tap water. At the time, she said that they could only be killed by some sort of very strong chemical.

From this site: Acanthamoeba are naturally occurring amoeba (tiny, one-celled animals) commonly found in water sources, such as tap water, well water, hot tubs, and soil and sewage systems.

If these tiny parasites infect the eye, Acanthamoeba keratitis results.

also

Factors and activities that increase the risk of contracting Acanthamoeba keratitis include using contaminated tap or well water on contact lenses, using homemade solutions to store and clean contacts, wearing contact lenses in a hot tub and swimming or showering while wearing lenses.

From the link "But overall the risk of Acanthamoeba keratitis is quite low, with only about two cases reported per million contact lens wearers." So there's a probability of 0.000002 of contracting Acanthamoeba keratitis or 0.0002% - that's miniscule which I expected. A more interesting statistic would be the probability of contracting Acanthamoeba keratitis given that one is meticulous about contact lens care after swimming/ showering etc - I would expect the risk to be even lower and it's a risk I am prepared to accept tbh.

Swimming with contact lenses - yay or nay?

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