An estimated 45 million US adults wear contact lenses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Especially if you’ve been wearing contacts for years, you likely consider yourself an expert. Maybe you don’t even need a mirror to put them in anymore because it’s become as habitual as brushing your teeth.
Still, ophthalmologists find that even the most seasoned contact lens-wearers make mistakes. One, for example, is sleeping in your lenses. If you’ve dozed off with your lenses still in, you know firsthand that it can make your eyes feel dry and it can be hard to see properly because your lenses may have shifted positions. But this habit leads to more than discomfort. As ophthalmologists previously told Parade, falling asleep wearing your lenses prevents oxygen from reaching the cornea, which increases the risk of infection.
Another common mistake people who wear contact lenses make is wearing expired lenses. Yep, they do expire! While it may seem to make financial sense to stretch out how long you wear your lenses, wearing expired lenses can lead to inflammation and bacterial infections.
There is yet another common mistake people who wear contact lenses make, and this one is serious; the consequences can lead to blindness.
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The Dangerous Habit Contact Lens-Wearers Should Stop Doing ASAP
A 20-year-old is going viral on TikTok for sharing a post in August saying that wearing her contact lenses in the shower is causing her to go blind. More than 4.8 million people have liked the post and it has more than 35,000 comments since it went up.
As you know, you can’t believe everything you see on social media, and claiming to be going blind from wearing contact lenses in the shower is a pretty alarming statement. Is there any truth to it? Parade talked to three ophthalmologists to find out and all three say that it can happen, but it’s extremely rare.
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“Wearing contact lenses in the shower can expose the eye to microorganisms found in water. One of the most concerning is Acanthamoeba, a microscopic organism that can cause a serious infection of the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye,” says Dr. Jorge Agi, MD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida and chief of ophthalmology at Tampa General Hospital.
Dr. Daniel Brocks, MD, an ophthalmologist and the chief medical officer at BostonSight, says that Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a rare vision-threatening parasitic infection of the cornea that can lead to significant pain, prolonged treatment and permanent vision loss. “When infected water gets trapped under the contact lens and sits on the cornea, particularly a cornea that has been compromised, it can cause this serious infection. Although uncommon, the risk is not worth wearing contact lenses in the shower,” he says.
Dr. Brocks notes that anyone—including people who don’t wear contacts—can develop AK, but the vast majority of cases are in people who wear contacts. “Risk factors include rinsing or storing contact lenses in tap water, swimming, showering or using hot tubs while wearing contact lenses,” he explains.
Dr. Benjamin Lin, MD, an ophthalmologist at Texas Retina Associates and a volunteer assistant professor at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, says that AK is extremely painful and difficult to treat because it can form cysts that lie dormant for extended periods of time.
AK isn’t the only bacterial infection that showering in your contacts can cause. Dr. Lin says that there is another bacterial infection, Pseudomonas, that can lead to contact lens-related ulcers. “Both can lead to permanent vision loss if the ulcer is not treated promptly. Even with aggressive treatment, sometimes we are unable to control the ulcer, and there is permanent scarring of the cornea, the clear window into the eye,” he tells Parade.
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Other Places You Shouldn’t Wear Contact Lenses
The shower isn’t the only place you shouldn’t wear contact lenses. “The same general rule applies to swimming pools, lakes, rivers, oceans and hot tubs. Contact lenses should ideally be removed before exposing the eyes to water,” Dr. Agi says. In other words, anytime you’re planning on submerging yourself in water, take your contacts out first.
If your vision is drastically impaired without wearing your contacts, you may be wondering how you’re supposed to see while enjoying an ocean, lake or pool. After all, you can’t exactly wear your glasses while swimming. In these cases, Dr. Agi recommends prescription swimming goggles. That way, you’ll still be able to see and your eyes will be protected.
“The simplest advice I give patients is: contact lenses and water should not mix. That includes shower water, even though it may look perfectly clean,” Dr. Agi explains.
While most infections won’t result in blindness, Dr. Agi says that a serious corneal infection can cause significant pain, redness, sensitivity to light, blurred vision and sometimes permanent corneal scarring.
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Other Ways To Support Your Eye Health, if You Wear Contact Lenses
By now, you know that contact lenses and water definitely don’t mix. But there are other important rules to live by if you wear contact lenses.
As previously mentioned, don’t sleep in your contacts. Dr. Brocks emphasizes that it’s never recommended to sleep in contacts—even for just a short nap—because it dramatically increases your risk of serious infections that could permanently damage vision.
“Good contact lens hygiene is extremely important. Always wash and thoroughly dry your hands before handling your lenses,” Dr. Agi says, sharing another important eye health rule to follow. This may sound basic, but when you’ve been wearing contacts for a long time and it only takes you a few seconds to put them in, it’s easy to skip this step.
If you can, Dr. Brocks recommends reducing the time in your lenses by wearing glasses sometimes. This allows for more oxygen to reach the corneas, letting your eye fully breathe. It also lowers the risk of eye dryness and infection.
“Contact lenses are generally very safe when used correctly,” Dr. Agi emphasizes. “The key is remembering that they are medical devices that sit directly on the surface of the eye, so good hygiene matters.”
As long as you follow the safe practices guidelines when it comes to wearing contacts, the risk of infection is low, including the risk of blindness.
Up Next:
Related: Doctors Are Urging People Over 50 To Stop Showering Every Day—Here’s Why
Sources
About Contact Lenses. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Acanthamoeba Infections. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Jorge Agi, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of South Florida and chief of ophthalmology at Tampa General Hospital. Dr. Daniel Brocks, MD, ophthalmologist and the chief medical officer at BostonSight. Dr. Benjamin Lin, MD, ophthalmologist at Texas Retina Associates and a volunteer assistant professor at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. About Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Hence then, the article about ophthalmologists are begging people to stop doing this in the shower was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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