Contacts in the pool?

[Florencenotflo]

I got some contact lenses last year, just disposables for when I go out really. When I went for the fitting appointment they said obviously don't wear them for swimming.

We go to Centre Parcs next week, do you think I'd be ok wearing them in there, I don't swim as such, I'm usually supervising my 3 year old. But my eye sight isn't great, I've managed before without them but dd is now here there and everywhere and I'd feel much better being able to see properly. I hate wearing my glasses in there they steam up and if I do get splashed they are impossible to dry off.

I don't submerge my face at all, the worst is probably a splash to the face. I usually come out with dry hair and I'd take them out as soon as we get out.

You can't wear goggles for all water sports though. And I'm a -10 in each eye, so have to wear something.... I know opticians always will advise against, but I think as long as you're careful it will be fine.

I have been wearing lenses in the pool for decades. You just run the risk of washing the lens out with the water. But that isn't too much of a drama if you use disposables.

It’s more than a standard eye infection that you are risking. The actual risk is a condition called acanthamoeba

My optician said the greater risk was to reusable contact lens wearers compared with the daily disposable. Extremely rare (handful of cases per million people) and is a risk for non contact lens wearers, though they only make up around 20%* of cases.

Can't recall exact numbers now

I also am a high minus (-9) @blankittyblank and I find my need for contacts so high in my everyday life that I would just find my life miserable without them, as I spend the majority of my life out of the water I can bear wearing my glasses in it. Maybe I would think differently about it if I had to spend more time in the water. But I can't unsee the damage this infection did, not just to one person, from going against the guidelines so if the OP was me, I wouldn't risk it despite being -9

I've been wearing contact lenses in the pool since I was 12. I'm 40 soon, luckily been ok. I also wear them in the shower which I think is another thing you shouldn't do. I have absolutely awful eye sight, so I feel I'm more at risk of injury not being able to see properly. That said I don't go under water and avoid splashing in the face as much as I can.

Ahh see that's maybe where we differ.. I only wear my contacts in the water! I wear glasses the rest of the time (apart from in the summer sometimes when I want to wear my sunglasses). But due to diving, I need to wear lenses as goggles wouldn't stay on!

I’ve worn contacts in pools similarly to this and so far haven’t had any issues.
but there is always a risk of eye infection which is not pleasant so I have come up with another solution.
prescription sunglasses - which I wear in the pool .

I guess the way I would look at it, is that there is a slight risk, in the same way that there is a slight risk of drowning in the pool, and yet no one is telling the OP she shouldn't take her DD swimming. You just can't live life according to a possible worst case scenario.

I can't see the edge, I just do that, I keep them on, although I have my glasses with me in the changing room. What do you think people who need glasses but can't wear contact lenses do?

I've always worn them in pools - try not to get face splashed mainly but I have gone underwater with them and always been fine - it would be a nightmare without them. If you do wear them take a spare pair to the pool as you might want to change them after swimming if you get water in your eye

I've always worn contacts in the pool, wouldn't have occurred to me not to. With goggles if I'm doing lengths, without if I'm just messing around with the kids. I've never had a problem

That's interesting, and it may be that they are just being very over-cautious. I think water is a problem also because it can do something to the shape of the lenses, though, and not just because of the infection.

It might be that they say something different if they find out that I'm not going to go ahead with them as a result, like that maybe taking them out temporarily is OK or something. It just seems like such a waste to use two pair a day, when they're already really expensive. (only one company seems to make this prescription in disposables).

I'm surprised how many other people seem to have high myopia here, like -8.0 and over, as I thought it was relatively rare, but loads of us seem to have it. Then again, we're the sort likely to get into conversations about eyes!!

I wear my contacts in the pool as my vision is so poor I couldn't function without them but I make sure I wear goggles all the time and it works fine for me.

I wear my contacts in the pool but I don't tend to be in pools with kids so am not at risk of being splashed. I also wear my sunglasses as added protection. As other people have said, I switch to a new pair once I'm done swimming.

@PaltnSepper Yeah I thought that! I'm a -6 and have only once met anyone with poorer eyesight than me.

I had a very bad corneal ulcer18 months ago and my optician/ consultant said that 99% of the ulcers they see are from people wearing reusable lenses. ( which is what I was using.) They are of the mind that their use should be discouraged and disposables be the default option in most cases.

In looking back, I had become quite lax in my routine using them and was swimming/ showering with them in.

I now use disposables and change into a fresh pair after swimming.

It's really not worth risking your eyesight for.

My optician has never suggested I try disposables, but I'm not sure if they do them in my prescription (I need toric for astigmatism and am -10 in contacts). I didn't think it was that rare being this short-sighted, I know a few other similar people.

@Katrinawaves - poor contact lens hygiene is listed as a reason:

The biggest risk factor is exposure to water (generally through swimming or showering in contact lenses, rinsing or storing lenses in water and handling lenses with unwashed or wet hands). Improper contact lens hygiene, including not disinfecting lenses properly and not cleaning and changing contact lens cases regularly have also been shown to increase the risk of infection

She was the above, whilst wearing her dailies for extended periods and therefore cutting oxygenation of the cornea - overwear is another risk factor in AK:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3972779/

I hate to be the voice of experience but…

I’ve worn contacts for thirty years. Daily disposables for the last twenty.
I did end up with an eye infection after swimming in contacts.

It was unbelievably painful. I was lucky not to lose my eyesight.

I usually wear glasses now (prescription = -7.5) which is a pain in the ass in the pool. I occasionally wear contacts but avoid going under or getting splashed and I take them out afterwards.

That is acceptable risk mitigation for me. To be honest, I think I would prefer to lose my eyesight than endure that level of pain again.

Do what you can to avoid an eye ulcer.

Yes there are possibly some - they've only just recently started making them in my prescription, so you might have luck - coopervision MyDay daily toric is the one that did mine, which is unusual because of the angles I have. There are one or two others that do high powers as well but not such a big choice of angles, so it depends what your astigmatism is like.