How to Swim With Contacts

Swimming provides excellent exercise and recreation. Whether swimming in a chlorinated pool, lake or river, swimming exercises all muscle groups as well as the heart. However, people with poor vision struggle with swimming without visual correction. Some choose to wear their contacts while swimming. In doing so, they run the risk of losing their contacts in the water. Learning how to swim with contacts protects the swimmer's eyes while increasing the enjoyment of swimming with corrected vision.

Instructions

    • 1

      Don't wear the contacts if your vision allows. Protect your contacts from loss and bacteria from the water by not wearing them while swimming.

    • 2

      Wear soft contacts only while swimming. Soft contacts fit over the eye better than hard contact lenses. Hard contacts should never be worn in the water. They will come out of the eye easily when exposed to water. Wear soft contact lenses at least a half hour before entering the water, allowing them to adhere fully to the eyes.

    • 3

      Apply saline drops to your eyes before entering the water. The drops lubricates the contacts, preventing water from easily washing them away.

    • 4

      Disinfect your contacts after swimming. Wait 20 to 30 minutes after swimming before removing your lenses for cleaning. This gives the contacts time to loosen up from the surface of the eyes.

    • 5

      Wear quality goggles. Goggles keeps water from washing across the eyes and dislodging the contacts. They also prevent bacteria from getting to your lenses. Make sure the goggles fit snugly and prevent water from entering. Clean the goggles after each use.

    • 6

      Get fitted for a pair of custom prescription swimming goggles as an alternative to wearing your contacts while you swim. This will protect your eyes better in the water, and prevent loss of your contacts.