There are people who practically cannot see without their glasses or contact lenses. Therefore, when bathing on the beach or in a pool, they do not consider taking them off. However, this choice can be detrimental to eye health.
In general, it is not recommended to bathe with contact lenses either on the beach or in the pool, or even in the shower at home, explains Dr. María Teresa Sagrario Fustero, an ophthalmologist in Malaga and Melilla. This gesture, ensures that “increases the risk of infection, especially in the cornea.”
The risk is due to the fact that there are many microorganisms in the water (the most dangerous are fungi, he points out). “If we wear contact lenses, there is a possibility that these germs remain at the interface between the lens and the cornea and can cause corneal ulcers and infectious conjunctivitis,” explains the doctor. Therefore, “we should not take this lightly, because sometimes this practice can lead us to suffer from a serious infection and even lead to loss of vision,” she stresses.
For those who think that the danger is only in the use of contact lenses, there is also the risk that bacteria and microorganisms in the water remain attached to the glasses. Hence the importance of cleaning the lenses with disinfectant wipes. Also, you should not submerge your head when bathing when we wear them.
Although the previous warnings seem logical, the doctor assures that during the summer the incidence of conjunctivitis from swimming pools increases by 200%. Thus, the red eye is accentuated, “already produced by chloramine and increased by the use of contact lenses in the pool,” says Dr. Sagrario.
The pathologies most seen in your practice in order of frequency are during the summer season: risk of conjunctivitis (inflammation or infection of the membrane located between the eyelid and the eyeball), keratitis (inflammation of the cornea), corneal ulcer and even conditions of deeper areas of the eye such as uveitis (inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye wall tissue).
And is there a way to be able to bathe without having to give up vision ability? The ophthalmologist says yes. First of all, you can opt for prescription swimming goggles. For this, you have to consult the options that are on the market to an optometrist optician
Then, “if the graduation is medium or low, do not use contact lenses in the pool,” says Dr. Sagrarui. She explains that in many refractive disorders (disorders in the eye that prevent images from being correctly focused on the retina), the incidence of the sun in the eyes reduces the diameter of the pupil. This increases the depth of focus so it will look better in bright sunlight.
There is also the possibility of using old glasses or that we do not use regularly on the beach or pool. This way you avoid spoiling those that are normally worn. In the event that we have problems derived from bathing in the pool, the beach or even from air conditioning, it is “very important to use moisturizing tears or artificial tears” to alleviate complications.
For years it has been easy to find sunglasses or prescription glasses for a minimum price in stores of all kinds, such as clothing stores. However, ophthalmologist María Teresa Sagrario Fustero points out that these must be approved to be suitable for use.
“The filter category of a sunglasses is one of its most important characteristics: knowing it and knowing how to interpret it gives us valuable information when choosing sunglasses”, emphasizes the doctor.
To better understand what the filter category consists of, Sagrario says that when we buy sunglasses at an optician’s, we will observe that it has a label/distinctive or is accompanied by a brochure. In this a number from 0 to 4 is specified: it is what is called the class or category of filter.
“Optics, following the UNE-EN ISO 8980-3:2014 standard, classify sunscreens according to their intensity. This is, regardless of its color (green, gray, brown, etc…). Our classification is based on the fact that they are more or less dark, with 0 being the lightest and 4 the darkest,” says the doctor.
