Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

Former Member — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 14:18:52 GMT

Contact user: 25 years. Never had to wear them in college days. Masters swimmer: 5 years To date....no problems. I use the anti-fog solution...and tend to keep my goggles free and clear of any water. Many times throughout a practice, I see people dipping their goggles in the pool... to get rid of the fog. Or worse yet...they spit into them. Very bad for those of us with contacts. My eye doctor has frowned on the lasik...saying that he would never recommend a surgery which is not mandatory. (Yes .... it is proven safe...but he's cautious.) A receptionist in his office had it done two years ago...and now she's back to wearing reading glasses. Try the disposable lenses that last three weeks at a time. And keep your eyes out of the water. Somehow I magically swam a 50 free under 23 seconds with both goggles filled after the start. A combination of being pissed...and a fear of lost time. It was my best time after 3 years of masters! (Always bring a spare set to a meet!)

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

Former Member — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:52:05 GMT

I think that most of the problems come from people who wear their contacts too long. I know a couple of people that do not change them for weeks or more. I used to play water polo with my contacts in so I could see better. I don't really need them much so I tend to not to wear them to the pool, but I don't worry if I need to. I did lose a contact once. My wife and I meet at the pool so we got married there as well. Well I wanted to be able to see so I wore my contacts, and since I never had a problem during polo I didn't think about it. Well one of them fell out. I didn't notice until later when I couldn't see too well. I thought it had slipped so I kept looking for it in my eye, let me tell you that it's not a good idea to look for a contact and keep poking your eye.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

BillS — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 12:48:04 GMT

I've been wearing them with no problems except losing one in a post-dive goggle flooding incident. (I have since learned to swim immediately to the side and carefully remove the goggles about an inch off the deck while looking for the contact in the goggle lens. My coach thought I was puking the last time that happened. She should have known I'm not the kind to work that hard. Ever. Just trying to save another $80, coach.) But I wear the rigid, gas permeable variety; I think there are more potential problems with the soft lenses.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

aquaFeisty — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 12:19:02 GMT

I can't stand to swim without my contacts... can't see the clock at all without them and would risk injury at the walls. I wear 2 week disposables and have only had troubles with dry eyes once in about 10 years... but I think that was related to the office building where I worked at the time being extremely dry more than the swimming.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

waves101 — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 08:25:31 GMT

I wear my contacts with my goggles all the time. I never really have problems with water getting in so it just works for me. I did take the time to try about 20-30 different types of goggles before I found the ones that work for me. They happen to be TUSA Snipers. They're the best goggles I've ever used (been swimming for about 28 years). I had single pairs last up to a year.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

Former Member — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 05:46:16 GMT

I always swim with my contacts in. My eye doc never lectured me - but advised me to get disposables that way if one fell out I would have a back up set. Your eyes are bound to burn or get redness in them if chlorine touches them, with or without contacts in.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

poolraat — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 04:42:58 GMT

I've been wearing the daily disposables. I only wear them while swimming (I don't think they make trifocal contacts). I will wear them for 3-4 workouts and rinse and store them in fresh solution between uses. My eyedoc recommended this after discussing several different alternatives. Ideally, lasik would be the best solution, but it's not for everyone and I would still need glasses to see up close.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

swimmieAvsFan — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 04:23:22 GMT

i started wearing contacts at age 12, and have worn them to swim since then (so for almost 14 years). i originally started with just normal non-disposable ones, but once my eye doc found out i was swimming with them, he immediately switched me to monthly disposables. and gave me a lecture to never wear them longer than 1 month. which i try to do. and luckily i've not had and serious eye issues, usually just dry/itchy, but that's from my seasonal allergies... i also swim with some people that wear contacts *only* when they're swimming...

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

The Fortress — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 02:04:00 GMT

Thanks for all the input guys. I wish I could wear daily lens -- too blind; they don't make them in my prescription. I think my tough bout of dry eye may have been triggered by wearing them longer than the specified 2 weeks. I'm very careful now. Even though my dr warned me not to, I'm back to wearing my favorite goggles. I just don't like the prescription goggles I've tried and going without them is unacceptable (-7.5 correction) To BillS: I too had a post-goggle flooding incident that caused me to meekly crawl out of the pool. The referee thought maybe I had decided not to swim the event. I told him that after I dove in and swam about 15 yards in the flooded state, I realized that if I didn't stop I would lose my lens and not be able to drove home! Thank god I was in Lane 1.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

aztimm — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 01:18:12 GMT

I've worn my contacts while swimming for as long as I can remember. I've also gotten the lecture...surgery, prescription goggles, etc. Once in a while I have a major issue and will even lose a lens, but after having to drive home with just 1 eye, I've since kept a set of old lenses in my swim bag (they are about a year old, the prescription isn't too far off, better than nothing). I replace my lenses every month. Other than the occasional lens disappearing, I haven't had any issues with this.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

Former Member — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 15:18:28 GMT

I have never tried wearing my contacts. I think it's because my eyes are sooo bad that when I wear my goggles there is such an improvement I'm a happy camper.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

Former Member — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 14:36:11 GMT

I always wear my 2 week disposable contacts. With out them EVERYTHING is blurry. If one of them moves around my eye at least I can still make out the other swimmers. I swam backstroke a few times and didnt put my goggles on and it really stings when you get the chlorine in there. I havent had any major problems though, just really dry eyes.. I usually carry visine for contacts and drop em in right after I get out of the pool. Maybe check with a lifeguard or someone on the pool staff to see how much chlorine is in the water? Sometimes it seems like theres too much, just a thought.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

dorothyrde — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 10:08:48 GMT

I wear daily disposable lenses, and when I swim at lunch, I swim with them in. Sometimes it works and my eyes feel fine, other times, I have to ditch them because the chlorine has gotten to them. I have a tear duct that is man-made(had surgery in my 20's to repair it), and it does not have a one way valve that natural tear ducts have, so water goes both ways, so very hard to keep it out of the goggles. I know a lot of kids wear contacts when they swim.

RE: Contacts: who's wearing them when they swim?

kristilynn — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 08:57:36 GMT

Until I had Lasiks in '02, I always swam with my contacts (from age 11-26)Never had a problem, and my eye doc knew that I wasn't just a casual swimmer. My eyes tend to be dry anyway, so I always kept some saline solution around to drop into my eyes.