Most people don’t have perfect vision. If you’re far-sighted, you may feel a bit helpless at a restaurant when you’re unable to read the menu. At the pool, though, near-sightedness is usually a bigger issue. Some people just put up with blurry vision as long as they can see the black lines and avoid fellow swimmers, but others really want (or need) to wear their contacts.
Should you swim with contact lenses? Your eye doctor will say that you shouldn’t, and that you shouldn’t shower with your lenses in either. Water is full of microbes that your eye’s normal defence mechanisms, tears and blinking, usually wash away. With a contact lens in your eye, however, these microorganisms can get trapped behind the lens. Lakes and rivers are more likely to host bacteria, but swimming pools and even tap water can harbour dangerous microbes as well, including the Acanthamoeba organism, which causes Acanthamoeba keratitis, a painful corneal infection that is difficult to treat and can cause permanent vision loss.
The chemicals in swimming pools can also be more irritating to your eyes if you’re wearing contacts, particularly soft contact lenses, which are porous and absorb chemicals. Plus, water can wash away the eye’s natural tear film, making your…
