Don't swim with contact lenses in
-
No new posts
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller | Reply |
|
2007-06-06 7:24 PM |
Regular 82 Cleveland, OH | Subject: Don't swim with contact lenses in I've been wearing contacts for 10 years and have never heard that I shouldn't swim in them; I figure it's the same for most of you. Last week I was diagnosed with acanthamoeba, a very rare yet serious eye infection - you may have heard about it in the news recently related to Complete Moisture Plus Soln, which I don't even use. I'm stuck in glasses and using irritating drops for months and am definitely not allowed to swim until the infection is gone, which means no racing for a while. Only after it was too late for me did I hear that swimming in contacts greatly increases your chances of getting eye infections from the water. Chlorine levels usually aren't high enough to kill everything and open water is, well you all know the prevalence of little living thingies in open water Contacts trap any bacteria/fungi/whatever in your eye, while no contacts allows a better chance of the little guys just passing through. Whether or not you follow this suggestion is up to you, but I'd like to make sure you've at least heard it. |
|
2007-06-06 7:28 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Champion 7163 Verona WI--Ironman Bike Country! | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in I have never heard of this before. Is this an issue even when you are wearing goggles? I really do not get water in my eyes while in the pool. |
2007-06-06 7:30 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Elite 3494 Renton, Washington | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in I wear my contacts in the pool ALL THE TIME! My optician ok'd this for me as long as I take them out afterwards and rinse them which I do. I will have to ask her about this infection..... |
2007-06-06 7:50 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Champion 6539 South Jersey | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in I know all about that - it sucks...I am really sorry you have to go through it. Did you need surgery? It's like the most painful thing ever. Man, I feel for you. Anyway, you can contract acanthamoeba from regular tap water too. The reason contact lens wearers are more likely to get it is because contacts take away our eyes' first line of defense, kind of like an abrasion to the outer layer of the skin...at least that's what my doc told me. Water in public pools is not good for the eye, and especially contact lense wearers as you can pick up something from the pool and continually expose your eye to it by taking lenses in and out, but I'd imagine you're fine especially with wearing goggles. Things like that are so rare and it's just one of those minor risks you take every day in life. (I am not a doc, just speaking from personal experiences.) To the OP, I hope you get better soon ! Edited by LaurenSU02 2007-06-06 7:51 PM |
2007-06-06 8:19 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Champion 8936 | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in My goggles keep the water out of my eyes well enough. |
2007-06-06 8:42 PM in reply to: #833190 |
Champion 6539 South Jersey | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in LaurenSU02 - 2007-06-06 8:50 PM ......Anyway, you can contract acanthamoeba from regular tap water too. The reason contact lens wearers are more likely to get it is because contacts take away our eyes' first line of defense, kind of like an abrasion to the outer layer of the skin...at least that's what my doc told me..... I just wanted to add that wearing your contacts in water doesn't make you more susceptible to catching this than not wearing contacts. It's the fact that you're a contact lens wearer at all that increases your chances of contracting this. (I guess maybe having your lenses in could increase your chance of re-exposing your eye to the bacteria, but you get the point). Again, I am speaking as an eye patient and not a medical professional. |
|
2007-06-06 8:51 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in Well, until they make prescription goggles, that's pretty much not an option for me. Besides, the goggles keep the water out of my eyes...I'm pretty blind without my contacts, so going without would be out of the question. |
2007-06-06 9:10 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Master 1506 Minnesota | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in I know - I'm blind too! I usually rinse out my contacts after I swim & put visine in my eyes. My eyes don't like the chlorine and get irritated from it easily! |
2007-06-06 9:17 PM in reply to: #833333 |
Master 1924 Denver | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in wurkit_gurl - 2007-06-06 7:51 PM Well, until they make prescription goggles, that's pretty much not an option for me. Besides, the goggles keep the water out of my eyes...I'm pretty blind without my contacts, so going without would be out of the question. What she said!! I'd be getting concussions from swimming into concrete every 25M without my little lenses! To the OP, sorry to hear about this. This is a terrible situation for you obviosly. I hope the medicine works VERY FAST! Edited by Z-dog 2007-06-06 9:18 PM |
2007-06-06 9:21 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Expert 994 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in I wouldn't be able to race if I couldn't swim in contact lens. At -10.5, I don't think they make rx goggles thick enough. Anyway, it's a chance I'll take, and I don't tend to get the water in my eyes anyway. It's an acceptable risk for me. Sorry you had this experience. |
2007-06-06 9:46 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Veteran 186 Pasadena, Maryland | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in Thanks for making me aware of this. I will be careful to rinse mine after a swim. |
|
2007-06-06 10:24 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Member 29 | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in Wow, thanks for the heads up. Looks like I will be adding my contact lense cleaning kit to my swim bag. -Silent Jazz |
2007-06-06 10:58 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Master 1790 Tyler, TX | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in I don't know anything about this infection, but guess my $20 prescription goggles were a good choice!
|
2007-06-06 11:37 PM in reply to: #833140 |
Veteran 235 | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in Wow! Thanks for the info. I just got contacts for the first time this week. They told me I shouldn't swim with them, but didn't elaborate. I have a HIM next weekend, and now I'm not sure what to do. I can get away without them, but I'd like to have sharper vision on the bike if I could. |
2007-06-07 12:24 AM in reply to: #833497 |
Veteran 270 Tuscaloosa, AL | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in I wouldn't worry too much as long as your goggles fit well and don't allow water in. The only problem to really bother about is your contacts getting dried out. Wear sunglasses even if it not bright. I just got some new Oakley Flak Jackets and they seem to keep the wind out of my eyes a little better than the Half Jackets. I pretty much ride and run with sunglasses on all the time. Get some lighter tinted lenses for overcast days. |
2007-06-07 7:21 AM in reply to: #833140 |
Master 1240 Knightdale/Raleigh | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in Thanks, I had never heard this either and its been 15 years! But, I've only been lap swimming in public pools for 5 or 6 months. I've already caught other infections, just not the eyes yet. I have GPC from years of contacts and was already considering what to do if I had a flare up near a race. Just had one until 2 days ago and have a race this weekend. I would have to get prescription goggles and where them all the way to transition. I would also have to see if they have precription wrap around style sunglasses for the bike and run. This could get expensive. Going without is not an option, but the link someone put up for goggles says they make them strong enough for me. Its not even twice the price! Do they just take your word for it or do you have to fax a prescription? |
|
2007-06-07 7:57 AM in reply to: #833628 |
Extreme Veteran 503 Lapel | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in there are all sorts of choices when it comes to prescription goggles. You could end up with a simple $20 pair that will only correct the near/far issue, or you could spend $300+ for a pair that would be identical to your daily wear plus have transition lenses (auto-darkening). the stronger your correction, the more you are going to pay. here's a couple of internet sites with pricing and general information: Sports Spex Swim Outlet I've noticed that a lot of online companies only offer goggles with corrections for nearsightness. of course, you should always ask your eyecare professional for more information. |
2007-06-07 8:17 AM in reply to: #833699 |
Expert 994 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in G-Moose - 2007-06-07 7:57 AM there are all sorts of choices when it comes to prescription goggles. You could end up with a simple $20 pair that will only correct the near/far issue, or you could spend $300+ for a pair that would be identical to your daily wear plus have transition lenses (auto-darkening). the stronger your correction, the more you are going to pay. here's a couple of internet sites with pricing and general information: Sports Spex Swim Outlet I've noticed that a lot of online companies only offer goggles with corrections for nearsightness. of course, you should always ask your eyecare professional for more information. Most of them top out at -8 or -9, which isn't strong enough for me. I'm basically screwed if I don't wear contacts. There is no other choice until I get LASIK Edited by sebjamesm 2007-06-07 8:23 AM |
2007-06-07 8:20 AM in reply to: #833140 |
Pro 3903 Andover | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in I have heard about this but I've always wondered... If your goggles fit well, and don't let water in, is this still an issue? |
2007-06-07 8:41 AM in reply to: #833140 |
Giver 18427 | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in Acanthamoeba infections are exceedingly rare--even among contact lens wearers (where 85% of the infections come from), the infection rate is 1-2 per million contact lens wearers. I've been wearing and swimming in lenses for almost 20 years with no problems. I've had literally hundreds of hours of contact time in dozens of different bodies of water, and no infections despite the fact that I never clean them after I swim. But that's just one person's experience. |
2007-06-07 8:43 AM in reply to: #833140 |
Regular 82 Cleveland, OH | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in Here's a site from the CDC about contact lens care - not too helpful, but it's something http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/acanthamoeba/contactwearers... I've decided that when I can get back in the water I'm definitely not going to wear my contacts while in the pool, will probably still wear them racing (that's just a pain), and am undecided about open water training swims. I figure at least not wearing them in the pool will decrease my exposure - even though my likelihood of catching something from open water is probably much greater. As Lauren said, you can the get the infection I have from tap water also - so I didn't necessarily get it from my pool - just thought I'd pass on some info I'd never heard. Mine really rare anyway, so probably (hopefully) none of you would end up with it, just speaking for infections in general. But also, my understanding is that wearing your contacts in water DOES make you more susceptible to these things, otherwise they wouldn't tell us not to to wear them in water. Maybe I misunderstood that comment though. In terms of whether goggles will help - I always wear them, but while I know some people can find a perfect goggle, I never have and get the occasional leakage. |
|
2007-06-07 9:00 AM in reply to: #833805 |
Champion 6539 South Jersey | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in Thanks! I hope you feel better soon . My comment, which was sort of misleading (I need to stop posting after 9 p.m. cuz I am too tired to make any sense), was meant to communicate that contact lens wearers are at greater risk even without their lenses in than are people who don't wear lenses at all. I had a serious eye infection (which was originally diagnosed as what you have, but then changed) and that was at a time in which I was hardly ever in a pool and never wore contacts in a shower or pool...the docs said that as I contact lens wearer I am more susceptible, even without them in, cuz contacts take away your eyes' first line of defense. Just sayin that by removing your lenses, you're still at a greater risk than those who don't ever wear lenses. (At least according to my doc.) I guess having the lenses in presents an even greater risk...even though in the big scheme of things it's still very minimal. Sorry you have to go thru that, because I know how much it sucks....being on percs for eye pain and not able to leave a dark room for days is the worst. Hang in there! |
2007-06-07 10:40 AM in reply to: #833140 |
Expert 957 Reykjavik, Iceland | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in Funny how my lenses started to inch after I read this ......
|
2007-06-07 11:11 AM in reply to: #833140 |
Science Nerd 28760 Redwood City, California | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in I wear them in the pool all the time. I just make sure that I clean them very well after every time that I swim. My father-in-law is an optometrist and said it would be fine as long as the contacts were clean. He also recommended keeping one pair just for swimming and another for regular wear. It's really important to wash your hands before handling lenses and make sure to clean and disinfect your contacts every day. It is a pain and I don't always do it, but it really reduces the chance of getting eye infections. |
2007-06-07 11:19 AM in reply to: #834114 |
Elite 3494 Renton, Washington | Subject: RE: Don't swim with contact lenses in Artemis - 2007-06-07 9:11 AM I wear them in the pool all the time. I just make sure that I clean them very well after every time that I swim. My father-in-law is an optometrist and said it would be fine as long as the contacts were clean. He also recommended keeping one pair just for swimming and another for regular wear. It's really important to wash your hands before handling lenses and make sure to clean and disinfect your contacts every day. It is a pain and I don't always do it, but it really reduces the chance of getting eye infections. I had never thought of having a separate pair for swimming! That is such a good idea. I just picked up my 6 month supply of lenses so I think I'll definitely do that. |
|