Contact Lenses and Swimming

Occasionally patients come into my office wanting contact lenses to wear while swimming. They desire convenience and sharper vision while swimming, but they might not realize the serious risk that they are asking to me to expose them to.

This risk has a name: Acantheomeba.

Acantheomeba Keratitis

Known as a protozoa, amoeba, or just as a large germ, Acanthomeba’s prevalence is nearly ubiquitous in our soil, tap water, lakes, and swimming pools. Researchers have actually found increased Acantheomeba in Chicago water as compared to other American cities.

While we may be exposed to Acantheomeba daily, it is not typically cause for alarm. The human body has natural defenses that protect us from this opportunistic pathogen. Contact lens wearers must be conscious though: If Acantheomeba finds itself between your contact lens and your eye, it may slip through your body’s defenses and infect your cornea. Patients with Acantheomeba eye infections, which have been uncommonly high in the Chicagoland area, are said to have Acantheomeba Keratitis. This is a markedly painful infection that causes swelling, redness, and ulcers of the eye. This keratitis is known to be particularly devastating and difficult to treat, often requiring corneal transplant.

How can you avoid this devastating, vision threatening, and painful condition? By not exposing your contact lenses to water, by following the instructions of your eye doctor, and by only cleaning or rinsing your contacts with approved contact lens solution. If you need to see clearer in the pool, lake, or waterpark, it is recommended that you be fit for prescription swimming goggles. Our patients typically prefer the convenience of wearing prescription goggles for swimming, even before knowing the risk of Acantheomeba Keratitis.

This article was written by:

Dr. J Christopher Wooldridge
Optometrist at Corner Eyecare

1005 Harlem Ave.

Glenview, IL 60025

(847) 998-4737