What You Need to Know About Wearing Contacts in the Pool

Summer is a wonderful season, with many of us taking vacations and spending time by the pool. However, if you wear contact lenses, you might wonder, “can I wear contacts in the pool?” Here’s our advice, along with some general contact lens tips to keep your eyes healthy. 

Can you swim with contacts? 

The FDA advises against getting water of any sort near your contact lenses, including water in the swimming pool. This is because bacteria and pathogens often live in water, many of which aren’t killed by chlorine. 

Furthermore, exposure to chlorine itself can be dangerous for your eyes. Coming into contact with bugs or chlorine while wearing contact lenses leaves your eyes vulnerable to infections and even corneal ulcers. 

So, the answer is no. For optimal eye health, you should avoid wearing contacts in the pool. 

What about goggles?

Of course, you might be more tempted to swim with contacts, regardless of the risks, if your vision is very poor. We highly recommend against this. If you do decide to wear contacts anyway, be sure to wear swimming goggles and do all you can to keep your eyes out of the water. 

The best bet of all is to remove your contact lenses before swimming. Then you can wear prescription sunglasses or get a pair of prescription swimming goggles if you do plan to go underneath the water. 

What do if your contacts get wet

If your contacts do get exposed to chlorinated water, remove them as soon as possible. Clean them immediately, and use a high-quality contact solution to disinfect them thoroughly. 

The bottom line is you can have fun at the pool, while still caring for your eyes, if you take proper precautions. Happy swimming!

Please contact us to learn more contact lens tips, or to schedule an eye exam.