what happens when chlorine gets in contact with your eyes in the pool??? for me, my eyes become red and very irritated. i know there is more to it thean that. could someone explain the effexts of chlorine in water on eyes?
swimming
- Thread starter basilisk312
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I was always wondering about swimming with contacts on.
I assume it's really bad for your eyes.
I assume it's really bad for your eyes.
i wonder about it with an without contacts on...just the effect of chlorine on eyes...bc i know its bad.
Andrew_Doan
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Swimming and hot tubbing with contacts is very bad. There are bacteria and protozoa in pool water. One of the worst things that can happen is Acanthamoeba Keratitis:
http://www.eyemdlink.com/Condition.asp?ConditionID=42
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Pool chlorine causes a mild chemical conjunctivitis (usually not a big problem), but at higher concentrations, can cause a chemical burn.
yeah, andrew beat me to it on the acanthamoeba... it's nasty stuff..
The contacts soak up the chemicals in the pool (and any other fun bacterial things that happen to be in there)
If you HAVE to swim with contacts.. get some daily disposable contacts for swimming. Then you can just throw them out after you swim and put on a fresh pair. Talk to your doc about it if you're interested.
Dr. Doan,
What are your thoughts on soft contact lens wear in "salt water"?
Yours truly,
Richard_Hom
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Good question. I did a pubmed search and not much research has been done on saltwater diseases and contacts. SCL will still collect dirt and bacteria, and I wouldn't recommend them for divers. However, I'm not all that familiar with SCL that are designed for diving. I would consult with an optometrist. 😉
There are alternatives such as prescription dive masks and swim goggles:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/sports/diving.htm
Dr. Doan,
I briefly served as a snorkel and free diving advisor and decided to do a brief emprical study of soft contact lens wear in salt water.
At depths less than 10 feet practically 7/10 subjects lost one or both soft lenses. This appeared to be most often when they entered the water or broke surface (coming up). I also discovered that past 20 feet the lenses were retained even in an open eye state.
I decided to culture the lenses after each dive and discovered that the lenses were fairly clean. What I did find significantly was minor mineral particles on the lenses (stuck like fly paper).
The Hawaiian State Water Park may have something to do with the lack of unusual flora and "pathogens" and I would have wanted to do the study again off the coast of CA someday or expand this study.
Regards,
Richard_Hom
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/basketball/ncaa/01/16/friday.roundup.ap/
Water may be culprit in Creighton player's infection
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Ordinary tap water might be to blame for an eye infection that has sidelined Creighton basketball player Tyler McKinney and threatens to destroy his cornea.
McKinney said doctors found a tiny organism called acanthamoeba in his right eye. He said the organism apparently got into his eye from his contact lens.
The contacts were stored in a 6-year-old case that had been washed in tap water, McKinney said in an interview with the Omaha World-Herald. He also said doctors told him his lens cleaner might have been contaminated with tap water.
McKinney, a junior from Urbandale, Iowa, had been the starting point guard for No. 24 Creighton. He has spent the past week at University Hospitals in Iowa City, where he received eye drops every 20 to 30 minutes.
The infection has bothered McKinney since November.
"They say it can take up to four more months to heal," McKinney said. "And I might have to have a corneal transplant in that eye."
The acanthamoeba infects the cornea, but there's little risk of the infection spreading to other parts of the body, said Marsha Kubica, an optometrist in Omaha.
"It is one of the reasons that, for cleaning contact lenses, we highly recommend you do not use tap water," Kubica said.
McKinney said he hopes to return to classes at Creighton next week, but it's not known when or if he'll be able to rejoin the team.
His eye remains swollen, painful and sensitive to light, he said. McKinney would need a corneal transplant if his sight is permanently damaged once the infection is gone.
Water may be culprit in Creighton player's infection
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Ordinary tap water might be to blame for an eye infection that has sidelined Creighton basketball player Tyler McKinney and threatens to destroy his cornea.
McKinney said doctors found a tiny organism called acanthamoeba in his right eye. He said the organism apparently got into his eye from his contact lens.
The contacts were stored in a 6-year-old case that had been washed in tap water, McKinney said in an interview with the Omaha World-Herald. He also said doctors told him his lens cleaner might have been contaminated with tap water.
McKinney, a junior from Urbandale, Iowa, had been the starting point guard for No. 24 Creighton. He has spent the past week at University Hospitals in Iowa City, where he received eye drops every 20 to 30 minutes.
The infection has bothered McKinney since November.
"They say it can take up to four more months to heal," McKinney said. "And I might have to have a corneal transplant in that eye."
The acanthamoeba infects the cornea, but there's little risk of the infection spreading to other parts of the body, said Marsha Kubica, an optometrist in Omaha.
"It is one of the reasons that, for cleaning contact lenses, we highly recommend you do not use tap water," Kubica said.
McKinney said he hopes to return to classes at Creighton next week, but it's not known when or if he'll be able to rejoin the team.
His eye remains swollen, painful and sensitive to light, he said. McKinney would need a corneal transplant if his sight is permanently damaged once the infection is gone.
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I've never swam with my contacts on but I was wondering if you can open your eyes under water or if your contacts will float out. I was always scared of that! I am so blind without my contacts so I just avoid situations like that. But it would be fun to swim again and open my eyes and see things underwater like when I was a kid! 🙂