A friend wore colored contacts to a pool party last summer. She kept her head above water the entire time, never opened her eyes underwater, and still ended up with an eye infection.
The lens trapped a microscopic amount of pool water against her cornea. By the next morning, her eye was red and painful. Here is why swimming with colored contacts is never worth it and what to do if you absolutely cannot go without them.
Why Water and Contacts Mix So Poorly
Pool chlorine kills bacteria. It does not kill acanthamoeba, a microscopic organism found in all water sources — tap, pool, hot tub, lake, ocean. When a contact lens traps water against your cornea, acanthamoeba has a warm, dark environment to multiply. The resulting infection is called acanthamoeba keratitis. It is difficult to treat, can recur for months, and can permanently damage your vision.
This is not a rare scenario. Eye doctors see cases of contact-lens-related corneal infections every summer. The common denominator is almost always water exposure.
If You Must Wear Lenses Near Water
Switch to daily disposables for the day. Wear them for the specific activity, remove them immediately afterward, and throw them away. Do not store them for reuse. The contaminated solution cannot be cleaned effectively. Our Yilala Berry Series and all other colors are 6-month disposables — not daily lenses. If you know you will be around water, plan ahead.
Wear tight-fitting goggles over your lenses. Prescription goggles are a better solution entirely — you skip the lens risk and get clear vision underwater. If goggles are not style-friendly for the event, do not wear contacts at all. No temporary cosmetic benefit is worth a corneal infection.
What to Do If Water Gets in Your Eye With Contacts In
Remove the lenses immediately. Rinse your eyes with sterile saline — never tap water. Throw the lenses away if they were exposed to pool, ocean, or lake water. Monitor your eyes for redness, pain, or blurry vision over the next 24 hours. Any symptoms mean see an eye doctor immediately.
Shop FDA-registered lenses and keep them away from water.