Healthy Habits: Keeping Water Away from Contact Lenses

Overview

Contact lenses and water are a bad combination—even when showering, swimming, or using a hot tub.

If water touches contact lenses for any reason, take them out as soon as possible. Throw them away, or clean and disinfect them overnight before wearing them again. This may help to reduce the risk of infection.

Understanding the risks: water and contact lenses

Water can cause soft contact lenses to change shape, swell, and stick to the eye. This is uncomfortable and can scratch the cornea (the clear dome that covers the colored part of the eye), which makes it easier for germs to enter the eye and cause infection.

Most water is not germ-free. There are many different kinds of germs in water that can cause eye infections, but a particularly dangerous germ—an ameba called Acanthamoeba—is commonly found in tap water, lake water, well water, and other water sources.

Acanthamoeba can cause a very severe type of eye infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis, which is often very painful and difficult to treat—sometimes requiring a year or more of treatment. Although rare, this type of infection can result in the need for a corneal transplant, or blindness.

Developing healthy habits

Contact lens wearers should remove lenses before water activities such as showering or swimming. Remember to wash hands thoroughly before handling lenses, and to clean lens cases with solution. Avoid rinsing or storing contacts in water.

For those who are actively involved in swimming or other water sports and concerned about being able to see well enough without wearing lenses, prescription goggles may be a good option.