Summertime means sun, fun, and outdoor activities galore.
But if you have contacts, can you wear them for seasonal adventures? Before you
retire your lenses for the next few months, take a look at what you need to
know about contacts and the summer season.
Can You Wear Contacts to the Pool?
You can wear contacts anywhere. The real question here
is-can you wear contacts in the pool? If your pool day routine doesn't include
a dip in the chlorinated water, your contacts shouldn't cause a problem.
Contact wearers who plan to swim should:
- Remove
contacts first
. Bacteria in pools (even chlorinated pools) can stick
to your contacts and cause serious eye infections. Avoid this issue, along
with other irritations, and remove your lenses before you swim.
- Wear
goggles
. If you absolutely can't remove your contacts wear goggles.
Make sure the goggles fit snugly around your eyes and don't allow pool
water in.
- Check
for leaks
. Leaky goggles allow water (and the bacteria/irritants in
it) into your eyes. Check the fit before you swim and periodically look
for leaks during your pool day.
- Choose
disposable lenses
. One-use lenses make it easy to remove your contacts
before pool-time. Simply take them out, throw them away, and replace the
contacts with new ones after you're done in the pool.
If you forget to remove your contacts or your goggles slip,
remove, clean, and disinfect them as soon as possible. Never put lenses
contaminated with pool water back into your eyes.
Can You Wear Contacts to the Beach?
Like with pools, you shouldn't wear your contact lenses in
the ocean. The same goes for a lake, river, or other natural body of water.
Whether it's chlorinated, fresh, or salt, water should never touch your
contacts.
Not only can ocean (or fresh lake/river water) irritate your
eyes or cause infections, but the beach itself can cause serious problems. Sand
can irritate eyes without contacts. Add lenses to the situation and you could
scratch your eye or damage the contact.
Before you go to the beach:
- Remove
your contacts
. Remove your lenses somewhere away from the beach. This
reduces the risk of sand drifting or blowing into your eyes.
- Keep
your contacts somewhere safe
. A beach bag is an open invitation for
sand to get into your contact case. Keep your lenses in a secure bag
pocket or somewhere away from the sand.
- Consider
alternative eyewear
. If you need corrective lenses, but can't wear
your contacts, try prescription sunglasses for your beach day.
While goggles can protect your contacts against
water-related issues, they won't do much when it comes to sand spray. Unless
you want to wear goggles for your entire beach day (without removal), leave
your lenses at home.
Can You Wear Contacts in the Sun?
The sun shouldn't interfere with your contact use. But that
doesn't mean you should leave your eyes unprotected. Whether you wear contacts
or not, the sun's UV rays can damage your eyes. Over time, sun exposure can
result in cataracts, changes to the eye's tissue, or skin cancer (in and around
the eyes).
Sunny-day outdoor contact use should include:
- Sunglasses
.
Always wear sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of the sun's UVA and
UVB rays when you're outside.
- Shade
.
The sun can creep into your eyes through the top or side of your
sunglasses. To reduce overall exposure, take breaks and head for the
shade.
- UV
- blocking
contacts
. Talk to your eye doctor about specialized UV-protecting
lenses. These block varying degrees of UVA and UVB rays.
Another option is to choose wrap-style glasses. These
provide additional protection on the sides and can reduce the amount of UV
radiation on your eyes.
Do you need a summertime eye check-up? Contact Fraser Optical
for more information.
