Vision Health
Can I Swim Whilst Wearing My Contact Lenses?
4 mins read
The short answer is yes, but we wouldn’t recommend it. If you choose to do so, however, there are ways to minimize any risk.
Invisible nasties
When a lens bathes luxuriously in your freshly prepared contact lens case full of solution or sterile blister pack, it does so within a solution that keeps the material in perfect condition. When it’s in your eye, your tears and eyelids do a fantastic job maintaining the lenses’ softness and protecting eye health.
However, a range of invisible nasties like bacteria, viruses, fungi and so on also love the company of contact lenses. Their role in life is to cause an infection, making them your eyes’ natural enemies. These microbes are particularly fond of warmish swimming pool water, which is why we use chlorine to remove them.
The problem is that chlorine isn’t good for your eyes or contact lenses. What’s more, it doesn’t kill all bugs—and unless changed regularly, swimming pool filters can be happy breeding grounds for things you’d rather not meet.
For example, you may have never encountered a bacterium by the name of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or a type of protozoan like the Acanthamoeba—and it’s best to keep it that way. These microscopic organisms have a habit of attaching themselves to contact lenses. Once glued on, they can cause the cornea to become infected. In rare but unpleasant circumstances, irritations and contamination can then escalate to sight loss and lasting eye damage—especially if they find their way into tiny scratches on the surface of your eye.
Manage the risk
It’s ironic that most people are much more worried about losing a lens in a pool than picking up an infection. Both are rare events - and it’s important to stress that these types of infections are not likely to happen—but if your eyeball does collect a few unwelcome fellow travelers left by previous swimmers and fellow bathers, there could be serious consequences. On your body, they’ll do no harm at all. On your sensitive eyes, it may be a different story.
As for sea swimming, one villain is salt. The sea is full of the stuff - and it’s bound to irritate your eyes. Sea water also carries its share of micro-organisms. So if you decide to swim in the sea or a public pool with your contact lenses on, or soak in a hot tub whilst wearing your lenses, you need to minimize these risks.
If you’re determined to keep your lenses in while in or under water, we understand. It’s tempting. You may want to keep watch over a child, see below the surface or avoid the hassle of taking them out only to have to replace them after your swim. The option of wearing glasses while swimming isn’t appealing either: they will get wet, blurry and potentially lost.
In case you're determined to keep your lenses in, make sure you protect them and your eyes behind a pair of airtight goggles. This will reduce the risk of inflammation and infection and minimize the lesser possibilities of losing a lens - or stretching it out of shape. If you normally wear glasses or are a daily disposable contact lens wearer, you can further minimize the chances of infection by putting in a new pair of daily disposables before you swim. Then slip on your goggles and enjoy splashing around.
As soon as you finish your swim and leap dolphin-style out of the water, wait 10-20 minutes before removing the daily disposables. Then proceed to replace them with a fresh pair of contact lenses or switch to your spectacles.
If you’re a monthly replacement or rigid gas permeable contact lens wearer, it’s a good idea to keep a stock of daily disposables for this purpose, leaving your regular lenses to soak in contact lens solution while you venture into the pool or hot tub.
Clarity and safety underwater
And there’s one more alternative to consider. You can resolve the issue by getting a pair of prescription swimming goggles, or a prescription dive mask. This means the underwater world becomes as clear as the view above it, letting you swim, snorkel or even scuba dive with clarity—and in safety. Problem solved!
The takeaway: avoid wearing lenses while swimming
To bring all of these options in focus, the best idea is not to wear contact lenses when swimming. If you decide to do so, minimise the risk by wearing temporary daily disposable contact lenses, goggles, or both. And of course, if you do experience any irritation, redness, blurred vision or uncomfortable feelings in your eye after swimming, get in touch with your eye care practitioner as soon as possible.
That way you’ll keep your eyes safe—and the bugs at bay!
Products You Might Be Interested In
DAILIES TOTAL1™
With only a cushion of moisture touching the eye, it’s the contact lens that feels like nothing.1
TOTAL30™
The first and only monthly replacement Water Gradient contact lenses so comfortable they feel like nothing, even at day 30.2
AOSEPT™ PLUS with HydraGlyde™
A gold standard in cleaning lenses
REFERENCES
- Perez-Gomez I, Giles T. European survey of contact lens wearers and eye care professionals on satisfaction with a new water gradient daily disposable contact lens. Clin Optom. 2014;6:17-23.
- In a clinical study wherein patients (n=66) used AOSEPT™ solution for nightly cleaning, disinfecting, and storing; Alcon data on file, 2021.
For contact lenses: Consult your eye care professional for wear, care, precautions, warnings, contraindications and adverse effects.
For contact lens care: Consult your eye care professional for use, care, precautions, warnings, contraindications and adverse effects.
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