should i wear my contacts in a swimming pool?

Question

and if so should i open my eyes under water?

will they fall out while swimming?

ok thanks for all of your opinions, i think i will wear them, just not open my eyes underwater

Answer 1

The fit of your contacts will determine if your contact lenses fall out or not. More likely than not, they should fall out if you open your eyes completely underwater. If you have the "breathable", soft or disposable lenses, its not really a good idea to open your eyes with contacts on in chlorinated water. The lenses will absorb the minerals/chlorine in the water and it will be stuck in your lenses. Although, small traces of chlorine are not harmful to the eyes, extended periods will irritate or dry out your eyes.

Answer 2

Swimming Contacts

Answer 3

I see that you have almost 200 answers to this question but I HAD to put my two cents in...ummm I am known for swimming in my contacts, which are colored and prescription by the way, and I open my eyes and all. It doesn't bother me at all, of course at first it feels kind of funny but they don't budge, I love my contacts because I can rub my eyes, and all and they won't pop out. Sometimes it depends on the brand also. But if you do decide to open your eyes under the water don't panic when you do it the first time because it will look blurry for a second but there is no harm done. You can rinse them out when you get out but I don't and I have no problem. It could also depend on how long you've been wearing contacts. I've been wearing them for almost 5 yrs now, maybe more.
hope this helps

Answer 4

My optometrist told me that I can wear my acuvue daily contacts (the kind you throw in the garbage every day) and my normal goggles. I then throw them away after swimming. I was worried about the lack of oxygen to my eyes with wearing both contacts and goggles but she assured me it's okay. Please do not listen to the person (answerer number two) who recommended you put bleach on your contacts after swimming. If you do this you will be permanently blinded. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!! I am horrified that someone would be so cruel as to trick someone to make them blind!! OMG !!! BTW Do you know that you can get prescription goggles for only $70 dollars canadian? Or the equivalent cost in your country? It doesn't matter your prescription strength as goggles do not use high index lenses because of the thickness and the shape. Also they do not leak and they are fog proof and scratch resistant-I have a pair. I think this is the best thing for you to get if you will be swimming regularly. Otherwise be sure to soak your contacts in a mild all-in-one solution eg AMO or opti-free overnight and wear your glasses and give your eyes a rest. As far as just wearing regular contacts in the pool-if they are soft lenses they won't fall out but don't open your eyes under water. This will cause them to stick to your eyeball and cause you to lose cells on the front of your eye when removing them. This will make you susceptible to a serious eye infection if you do this and then continue to wear contacts without giving your eyes a break for a week or two. Or It will cause your contacts to shift and go off center or even worse-go up and behind your eye which can lead to a dangerous situation. Please take my advice and think about the health of your eyes-your vision cannot be replaced. Be smart-I urge you!!!

Answer 5

They will not fall out if you wear goggles, and that would be the best thing to do, but if you don't like wearing goggles, and they bother you, it is NOT advisable to swim with your contacts in, especially if you like to or plan on opening your eyes underwater if you don't want to loose them. You can swim with them if you are okay with loosing one or both, or are very cautious and make sure to keep your eyes closed, but it is really easy to forget you have them in. If the issue is that you can't hardly see anything and you swim a lot, than you can get prescription goggles, and they're just like glasses only you can wear them in water and can take them off without the risk of loosing a contact. Hope this helps, happy swimming!
♥ Maya

Answer 6

Never wear your contacts while swimming. Even chlorinated water contains germs that can be very dangerous to your eyes. Lakes or streams are even more risky.

Now, with that being said, I have worn mine while swimming, and thankfully, I did not get an infection. I would only risk this in a pool; never in the ocean or a lake or any other body of water that is not filtered.

It also depends on whether you wear hard or soft lenses. Hard will probably float off the eye. Either way, you run the risk of infection.

Answer 7

It's never a good idea to wear contacts in a pool unless A.) you wear goggles that are borderline airtight, or B.) you've cleared this with your opthamologist/optometrist or whoever you go to for your prescription. Most contacts are made of materials that can dissolve in solutions of halogens and/or acidic environments (like all properly cared-for pools), causing severe permanent damage to the eyes. Even if you use goggles, the fumes can have the same effect.

Even assuming they're safe for chlorinated/brominated pools, they will likely still be very uncomfortable. Your best bet is to look into getting prescription goggles. They're not exactly cheap, and somewhat difficult to find, but they're out there. You can try asking at dive shops; there's an awesome place in Santa Monica, CA called The Scuba Haus that I know offers them.

Answer 8

I wear night/day contacts. The ones you can sleep with. I swim with them even though the optometrist says you shouldn't. I'm careful about not opening my eyes underwater and if I must, I keep my eyes squinty. I haven't lost any contacts swimming yet and I've been wearing them for a couple years. I'd suggest keeping your contact eye drops close by though, the water can irritate your eyes more then normal because of your contacts.

Answer 9

Many swimmers wear contact lenses when swimming. They seem to have no particular problems from doing so, some have worn contact lenses without goggles when swimming. That does not sound very sensible.

It has been said that it is sensible to swap them after swimming, and to make sure they are re-sterilised. The real difficulty is that if the water is not properly sanitised, you will be affected in the same way as anyone else, but if you do not re-sterilise the contacts after swimming, you risk greater exposure to any ameobic matter.

As to any danger from violent contact, goggles which sit properly on the bone around the eye socket should give good protection.

Answer 10

I'm not sure..I was wondering the same thing. I've had contacts for about a year now, and I've always taken them out when I go swimming, but I don't like to go without them. I think you'll be ok if you keep them in, but I wouldn't open my eyes under water because theres a lot of bacteria in public swimming pools.

Answer 11

Yes, it is ok to wear your contacts in a swimming pool as long as you DO NOT open your eyes under water. If you do open your eyes they will become irritated or you may lose your contact depending on how they fit on your eye. So, you'll just end up moving on to your next pair of contacts. Why waste money when you can just keep your eyes shut or wear goggles?