Can You Swim with Contact Lenses?

This summer when it’s hot outside and you have the opportunity to jump into a nice cool pool, it may be tempting to do so without taking out your contact lenses. That process can be a bit of a pain and you may think that it’s no big deal if your contacts get some water on them. However, it is highly recommended that you remove your contacts before going for a dip in the water – this includes pools, hot tubs, lakes, and oceans. There are a variety of reasons for this.

Microbes and Bacteria

Water everywhere contains thousands of viruses and bacteria that can be harmful to your system. One dangerous organism known as Acanthamoeba can cause your cornea to become infected if it comes in contact with your lenses. In severe cases, this can lead to permanent loss of vision or require surgery to fix your cornea, including a potential cornea implant.
This is just one kind of dangerous bacteria that can be made worse by contact lenses. If you don’t wear your contacts, your body generally has a way of flushing these bacteria out. However, as they become attached to your contacts, the bacteria have the opportunity to grow and become more likely to infect you.

Irritation

Water can cause contact lenses to swell or dislodge, causing discomfort in your eyes. It may also wash away your natural tear film which will cause your eyes to feel dry and irritated as they lose their natural lubricating properties. As your eyes become drier, you will find it more and more irritating to put in your contact lenses in the future, especially if they fall out while you are in the pool.

The potential loss of contacts

Due to the dislodging, that takes place in the water, you put yourself at risk of losing your contacts if you swim with them in. This may not be as big of a deal if you wear daily disposable contacts, but it can be expensive and frustrating if you have permanent contacts.

What to do if you accidentally wear contacts in the pool?

If you forget to take your contacts out when you go swimming, it’s important to remove them and clean them as soon as possible. Make sure to disinfect them with your solution and allow them to dry thoroughly before wearing them again. If you wear daily contacts, throw out the pair that was exposed to water and put in a new pair.
You also need to take care of your eyes, so rinse them out with re-wetting drops or artificial tears. This will re-lubricate your eyes and help ensure that you don’t suffer from dryness as the day goes on. If you have any long-lasting issues after swimming, make an appointment with Twenty Twenty Eyecare as soon as possible.
If you must wear your contacts while swimming, be sure to find a pair of airtight, waterproof goggles. These will protect your eyes from chemicals and bacteria in the water and help keep your contacts from falling out or dislodging

5 Signs It’s Time To Replace Your Contact Lenses

There’s also proper hygiene when it comes to contact lenses. Maintaining a pair of contact lenses is as challenging as your very first time of putting it on. Contact lenses have expiration dates. You have to follow this lifespan, or else it might cause serious problems to your eyes. It can range from simple eye itchiness or irritation up to serious ones like eye diseases, infections, and dry eyes.

According to a study by the Centre for Contact Lens Research at the University of Waterloo, 40% of people who wear contact lenses don’t replace their pair beyond the replacement schedule. Moreover, some of them don’t even know that their contact lenses have an expiration date.
As a contact lens wearer, you must be extra vigilant when using contact lenses. Based on the same research, even eye professionals give out wrong information about the prescribed expiration dates of the contact lenses.
In line with that, 52% of the people who wear a two-week replacement silicone hydrogel lens wear it beyond the prescribed time. Contact lenses get exposed to your eyes’ fluids, so naturally, the materials of contact lenses deteriorate over time. As a result, your eyes are prone to risks if you don’t change your contact lenses regularly.
Eye complications such as dry eyes where your cornea loses sensation can happen to you. Eye infections can also start happening, and this causes keratitis or the infection of the cornea. Lastly, the usage of contact lenses beyond the prescription date can lead to corneal ulcers. These are open sores on the outer layer of your cornea wherein you feel a burning and painful sensation.
It’s easy to sustain proper hygiene when it comes to your contact lenses. Below are some telltale signs you shouldn’t ignore:1. Cloudy lenses
Make sure to examine your lenses on a regular basis. If it’s not as clear as the first time you bought it, then your lenses might have bacteria already.
To check if you have cloudy lenses, take them out of your eyes and rinse it with the saline solution. Put them back on to check if it’s time to say goodbye to this pair.

2. The feeling of discomfort and irritation

If you’re experiencing something unusual with your contact lenses, then there’s something wrong. It’s natural for contact lenses to stick dirt and dust, so never forget to clean it with the solution.
Don’t forget to look for scratches as well, as any damage to the lenses already tells you to change them.

3. Permanent dents or bends on the contact lenses

Damaged contact lenses in any shape or form are a portal to the bacteria to pass through. Instead of protecting your eyes, it only allows unwanted substances or material at your cornea and other eye parts.

4. No UV protection

Older brands of contact lenses don’t have UV protection. If you’ve had that pair for a fairly long time, then most probably, your lenses are not protecting your eyes from UV.
Moreover, your eyes may not be getting enough oxygen because of the material of old contact lenses. Newer ones have been adjusted and modified to allow the cornea to breathe and protect the eyes from sun damage. If not prevented, your eyes can suffer from cataracts, macular degeneration, and corneal diseases.

5. Reaching prescription expiration date

Before getting a pair of contact lenses, you should go to an eye specialist to know the right type of contact lenses for you. There are different prescription expiration dates for different types of contact lenses:
• Daily disposable lenses should be discarded after you wear it for a single day.
• Disposable lenses are to be replaced every two weeks.
• Frequent replacement lenses prescribed lifespan is either until every month or every quarter.
• Traditional (reusable) lenses should be changed every six months or longer.
Before you reach the expiration date of your contact lenses, get a new one already. Ultimately, follow what’s prescribed to you.
If you’ve ticked one or a few from the checklist, then it’s time that you replace your contact lenses immediately. At the end of the day, you should make your utmost effort to keep your pair of contact lenses at its optimum shape.
Also, take note of the different types of lenses and their solutions and the materials that were used in making them. You might be allergic or irritated to some of these materials, so it’s best to consult a professional first.

How To Select The Right Contact Lens

Contact lens wearers, consider your options. There are extended-wear contacts, disposables, and even lenses that can change your eye color. But as with any purchase of a medical device, buying contact lenses should be done with care and caution. These tips will help you choose the right type of contact lens for your needs.
 

Contact Lens Options

Your first step is to choose from two basic types of lenses: soft and hard. “Most people who wear contact lenses wear soft lenses — 9 of 10 people,” says Thomas L. Steinemann, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology at Case Western University and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “The rigid gas-permeable lenses are worn by only about 10 percent of people.” Hard lenses are usually the better choice for people who have astigmatism or a medical condition in which protein deposits form on the contact lens.

After you’ve chosen hard or soft lenses, there are many categories of contact lens available, both in terms of how they accomplish vision correction and how often they need to be replaced:

Daily wear contact lenses.

This type of contact lens is usually the least expensive option. Daily wear contact lenses have to be taken out and disinfected every night and are replaced on a set schedule. The replacement time can vary widely by type and brand, from every two weeks to every three months.
 

Extended wear contact lenses.

This type of contact lens is designed to be worn overnight, though they need to be removed at least once a week for cleaning and disinfection. However, many eye professionals do not encourage their use. “I recommend that people not wear contacts overnight, even if they are extended-wear lenses,” says Dr. Steinemann. When you sleep with your contact lenses in, you reduce the amount of oxygen to the eyes, making your eyes more vulnerable to infection — especially corneal infection.
 

 

Disposable contact lenses

Daily disposable lenses get tossed every day after use, so no maintenance is involved. They cost more because you need a new pair every day, but they are much more convenient. Disposables that are replaced weekly or monthly require the same regular care as daily wear lenses. Disposables are a good option for people with allergies or other conditions that exacerbate the formation of protein deposits from tear film.
 

Toric contact lenses

This type of lens is used to correct astigmatism, a condition in which vision is blurred because of an irregularly shaped cornea or lens inside the eye. They are usually more expensive than other contact lenses.
 

Colored contact lenses

Colored contacts can dramatically change the color of your eyes — making even the brownest eyes look blue or green, for instance — or enhance your natural color. They can be worn for purely cosmetic purposes or to also correct vision.
 

Multifocal contact lenses

People with presbyopia — a condition that occurs as people get older and their eyes have a harder time bringing close objects into focus — can sometimes have their vision corrected with bifocal or multifocal lenses. One technique, called monovision, uses a contact lens for distance in the dominant eye and a contact lens for near vision in the non-dominant eye. Modified monovision uses a bifocal or multifocal lens in the non-dominant eye. “It can be tricky for some people who can’t deal with blurriness or who have trouble filtering out visual distractions,” says Steinemann.
 

Buying Contacts? Follow These Safety Tips

When purchasing contact lenses, keep these tips in mind:

  • Don’t buy lenses out of broken box sets. Make sure the package is sealed properly.
  • Use caution when buying contacts on the Internet. Stay with reputable Web sites that will confirm your prescription with your eye doctor and that offer brand name products. When you receive your order, make sure the information on each contact lens box matches your prescription.
  • Be sure to use a current prescription from your eye care professional; prescriptions are only good for one year from the date they are written.

Even if you do not need vision correction, don’t buy cosmetic lenses without consulting an eye care professional. Theatrical contact lenses that are used for Halloween or other occasions are sold on the Internet, beauty salons, and even convenience stores. But even cosmetic lenses, like lenses used for vision correction, must be fitted by trained professionals and should be monitored with follow-up visits to prevent eye infections and other problems.
Contact lenses are an excellent way to correct vision. And by taking a few necessary precautions, you can determine the contact lens type that’s best suited for your needs.

How to Care for Your Contact Lenses and Eyes

Follow these steps to extend the life of your contact lenses and keep your eyes safe and healthy.

Cleaning Tips

The type of lens you have determines how you care for it.
Disposable extended-wear soft lenses need the least care. Conventional soft lenses take the most work. Follow all directions, or you could have vision problems. If you have a hard time with these steps, talk to your eye doctor. You may be able to make the steps easier, or you could switch to daily disposable lenses.

  1. Before you handle contacts, wash and rinse your hands with a mild soap. Make sure it doesn’t have perfumes, oils, or lotions. They can leave a film on your hands. If they get on your lenses, your eyes could get irritated or your vision might be blurry.
  2. Dry your hands with a clean, lint-free towel.
  3. If you use hair spray, use it before you put in your contacts. It’s also a good idea to keep your fingernails short and smooth so you won’t damage your lenses or scratch your eye.
  4. Put on eye makeup after you put in your lenses. Take them out before you remove makeup.
  5. Some contacts need special care and products. Always use the disinfecting solution, eye drops, and enzymatic cleaners your doctor recommends. Some eye products or eye drops aren’t safe for contact wearers.
  6. Never put tap water directly on your lenses. Even distilled water can be home to nasty little bugs that can cause an infection or hurt your vision.
  7. Never put a contact in your mouth to rinse it.
  8. Clean each contact this way: Rub it gently with your index finger in the palm of your other hand. Lightly rubbing your contact removes surface buildup.
  9. Clean your lens case every time you use it. Use either sterile solution. Let it air dry. Replace the case every 3 months.

 

Wear Your Contacts Safely

Wear Your Contacts Safely
 
Eyecare experts say daily disposable lenses are the safest soft contacts. Ask your doctor for advice on care.

  1. Wear your contacts each day only as long as your doctor recommends.
  2. If you think you’ll have trouble remembering when to change your lenses, ask your eye doctor for a chart to track your schedule. If he doesn’t have one, make one for yourself.
  3. Never wear someone else’s contacts, especially if they’ve already been worn. Using other people’s contact lenses can spread infections or particles from their eyes to yours.
  4. Don’t sleep with your contacts in unless you have extended-wear lenses. When your eyelids are closed, your tears don’t bring as much oxygen to your eyes as when they’re open.
  5. Don’t let the tip of solution bottles touch other surfaces, like your fingers, eyes, or contacts. Any of them can contaminate the solution.
  6. Wear sunglasses with total UV protection or a wide-brim hat when you’re in the sun.
  7. Use a rewetting solution or plain saline solution — whatever your doctor recommends — to keep your eyes moist.
  8. If you accidentally insert your contacts inside out, it won’t hurt your eye. But it won’t feel good, either. To avoid this, place the lens on the tip of your finger so it forms a cup. Look at the contact from the side. If the cup looks like it flares out at the top and has a lip, the lens is inside out. If it looks like the letter “U,” it’s right side out.
  9. If your eye gets irritated, take your contacts out. Don’t use them again until you’ve spoken to someone at your doctor’s office about the problem. If you keep wearing them, your eye could get infected. When you do start to wear contacts again, follow your doctor’s instructions to prevent an infection.
  10. Go to your eye doctor right away if you have any sudden vision loss, blurred vision that doesn’t get better, light flashes, eye pain, infection, swelling, unusual redness, or irritation.
  11. Don’t swim with your contacts in. Goggles are better than nothing, but there’s still a chance you could get a serious infection if you wear contacts in a pool, or worse, in a lake.

 

Contact Lens Risks

Contact lenses that are old or that do not fit well can scratch your eye. They can also cause blood vessels to grow into your cornea, a dangerous condition that threatens your vision.
Eye drops can cause problems with your contact lenses. It is best to avoid using any kind of eye drop when wearing contacts. However, you can use wetting drops or preservative-free lubricating drops as recommended by your eye doctor.
Remove your contact lenses and call your eye doctor right away if your eyes are very red, painful, watery or sensitive to light. Do the same if you have blurry vision or notice discharge (ooze or pus) coming from your eye. These can be symptoms of serious eye problems.

Take Proper Care of Your Contacts

How to Care for Your Contact Lenses and Eyes
 
You must clean and disinfect any contact lens you remove from your eye before you put the lens back in. There are many types of cleansing systems. The choice depends on the type of lens you use, if you have allergies or if your eyes tend to form protein deposits. Ask your eye doctor what kind of cleaning solutions you should use.
Take special care to clean and store your lenses correctly to avoid dangerous eye infections.
Here is what you should do:

  • Follow the schedule your eye doctor gives you for wearing and replacing your lenses. You should not wear daily wear lenses while you sleep.
  • Remove contact lenses before taking a shower, using a hot tub, swimming, or doing anything where water gets in your eyes.
  • Before touching your contact lenses, wash your hands with soap and water and dry them with a lint-free towel.
  • Never put contacts in your mouth to wet them. Saliva (spit) is not a sterile solution.
  • Do not rinse or store contacts in water (tap or sterile water). Also, never use a homemade saline solution.
  • Do not use saline solution or rewetting drops to disinfect your lenses. They are not disinfectants.
  • Follow directions from your doctor and from the lens cleaning solution manufacturer to clean and store your lenses.
  • No matter what type of lens cleaning solution you buy, use a “rub and rinse” cleaning method. Rub your contact lenses with clean fingers, then rinse the lenses with solution before soaking them. Use this method even if the solution you are using is a “no-rub” type.
  • Use new solution each time you clean and disinfect your contact lenses. Never reuse or “top off” with old solution. Also, do not pour contact lens solution into a different bottle. The solution will no longer be sterile.
  • Make sure the tip of the solution bottle does not touch any surface. Keep the bottle tightly closed when you are not using it.
  • Rinse your contact lens case with sterile contact lens solution (not tap water). Then leave the empty case open to air dry.
  • Keep your contact lens case clean. Replace the case at least every 3 months, or right away if it gets cracked or damaged.
  • If you store your lenses in the case for a long time, check the contact lens instructions or the lens solution directions to see if you should re-disinfect them before wearing them. Never wear your contact lenses if they have been stored for 30 days or longer without re-disinfecting.
  • Contact lenses can warp over time, and your cornea can change shape. To make sure your lenses fit properly and the prescription is right for you, see your eye doctor regularly.

How to Care for Your Contact Lenses and Eyes

Are Contacts Right for You?

Millions of people choose to wear contact lenses. However, they are not for everyone. You might not be able to wear them for the following reasons:

  • You get a lot of eye infections.
  • You have severe allergies or dry eyes that are hard to treat.
  • You work or live where it is very dusty.
  • You are not able to properly care for your contact lenses.

Your cornea and tear film must be healthy for you to be comfortable and see clearly with contact lenses.
To safely wear contact lenses, you must be committed to caring for them properly and replacing them when needed. Talk with your ophthalmologist or other eye care professional to discuss your vision needs and expectations. They can help you decide if contacts are a good option for you.