Please take a minute to look at this twitter feed.
@NHS
It’s being curated by my dear cousin Irenie, and has some invaluable info on the dangers of misusing your contacts.
Thanks

Wow – will keep following that – thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing, but I wouldn’t dream of rinsing with tap water, far too risk – averse at my age

Definitely, but lots of people swim and shower in them. That’s how my cousin got it, from showering. It’s really horrendous.

How would one view this information if they are not a twitter user?

https://twitter.com/nhs?lang=en

Thanks, I’ve swam in lenses a few times on holiday in lakes, waterfalls etc…

Ooops

Not wearing them at the beach would be a major ballache. I’ll have to invest in a good mask for swimming.

Is the issue then not cleaning them properly?

I can see if you have the monthlies and leave them in a problem could manifest?

I take them out and clean them every night and switch back to glasses at any sign of soreness.

But I do surf, kayak, mtb, shower etc in contact lenses.

Unfortunately cleaning doesn’t help.
Any contact with water can leave you exposed.
It is a real gamble.
I use a prescription sunglasses sports goggle with a strap for body boarding, and prescription goggles for swimming.

I wear contact because I spend so much time in the water. (I’m -10.5 no chance I’m wearing prescription goggles)

Best part of 25 years surfing and swimming wearing lenses with no issues at all (apart from the occasional time in a particularly bad hold down I’ve had to open my eyes to see which way was up they’ve been washed out)

I’d put money on another 25 years of trouble free watersports 🙂

Ask your optician about this and you’ll get a completely different answer. Its been kicking about for a few years that I have been aware of and a handful of opticians tell me its over reaction. If there was a big issue then all of us lens wearers would have been blind years ago. Of course things can happen.

I’d like to say I don’t need to put my lenses in to shower but I do.

I’m either blind as a bat or hung like a gnat…

And I’ve always done that and worn them for swimming. I wear dailies.

“The incidence of the disease in developed countries is approximately one to 33 cases per million contact lens wearers” from CDC.

However the consequences are pretty severe. Looks like from a quick skim of Google that the chances are about the same as being killed or seriously injured in a car accident. And we take steps to avoid those, so logically we ought to here as well.

I’d like to say I don’t need to put my lenses in to shower but I do.

Really? Pretty sure I could shower in my own home with my eyes shut!

Is this still a problem with daily disposable contacts or is it only with monthlies? (Not a twitter user so I can’t ask Irenie directly)

I only really wear my (disposable) contacts for sports, but those often involve water and showering.

Moorfields say 2 in 100,000 contact lens wearers in U.K. Will get it.
Fight for sight charity have it at 8 per 100,000
It’s greater in the UK than many other countries due to the way tap water is stored apparently.

Dailies are a risk as well I’m afraid.

Moorfields say 2 in 100,000 contact lens wearers in U.K. Will get it.

How does that compare with the number of non-contact wearers that will get it?

i.e. what is the additional risk?

However the consequences are pretty severe. Looks like from a quick skim of Google that the chances are about the same as being killed or seriously injured in a car accident. And we take steps to avoid those, so logically we ought to here as well.

But aren’t the car accident figures after the steps such as airbags and seat belts have been avoided? So the risk is the same as being seriously killed or injured whilst driving. That’s never stopped anyone driving

That’s never stopped anyone driving

That’s the point I’m trying to make, to put it in perspective. We drive, of course, even though there are risks – but we also wear our seatbelts and generally pay attention to what we’re doing.

i.e. what is the additional risk?

I read you’re about 8x more likely as a contact lens wearer. But it’s still very rare even then.

Sorry molly I read your post as people take precautions when in cars so why not with contact lenses

Yes, exactly – so pay attention to the experts 🙂

The point is, yes it’s classified as rare, but the consequences are horrendous.
If you’re a surfer with -10.00 prescription then it’s a massive problem to find another option.
If you just like to swim in the gym, and shower in them, it’s not so much.
If you have the information then you can decide.
If you don’t know about the dangers of tap water with contacts, you have no choice.

Interesting,was aware of this anyway,but it wont stop me swimming,showering,mountain biking wakeboarding,diving etc etc whilst wearing lenses,mainly because i have little choice as my eye sight cannot be corrected by glasses only by contact lenses, so am ok with making the decision to take the small risk

Swim or whatever in your contacts, just take them out after, get dailies so they are disposable.

Swim or whatever in your contacts, just take them out after, get dailies so they are disposable.

Not possible for me, have to wear ‘Hard’ lenses, so no disposables.