People are frequently asking me if they could shower, swim with their contacts, or if they can dip it with distilled water. The answer is very obvious; it’s a big NO. But for many reasons people still do, thinking they could get away from this.
Water is not designed to clean up your contact lenses from bacteria, fungi and viruses. Worst is water may contain these elements or promote such biodiversity.
Wearing contact lenses are fashionable. But they are not cheap. And you should be aware of it. Lack of money shouldn’t be a reason for you to seek cheap recipes for a homemade saline solution. Use the proper contact solution!
One can use multipurpose solution to disinfect, clean, and store contact lenses. Saline solution can be used to clean up your contact lenses or to prepare your eyes for insertion. While hydrogen peroxide can be used to disinfect your lenses but must be neutralize before insertion. Once a week contact lenses users should do an enzymatic cleaning to remove protein build up.
What happen if you have a bad habit of not cleaning your lenses? Or you used distilled or tap water to store your lenses.
Your contacts create a thin biofilm. Bio is rooted from the word life. Water sustains life but not all life forms are beneficial to people. It means that your contacts will culture more bacteria and fungi. Think of your contacts as playground for bacteria.
The most dangerous life form is an amoeba called Acanthamoeba. This bacteria is present everywhere. Acanthamoeba loves water, tap, oceans, lakes and even bottled and chlorinated. It is found on your nasal passage (without causing harm to you), on air, and soil. It definitely loves dirty contact lenses!
Acanthamoeba keratitis is a disease caused by this amoeba. Most often you will need several corneal transplants to save your eye from permanent blindness. If you’re not lucky, it can make you lose your eyeball!
Most of the people afflicted with Acanthamoeba keratitis are contact lenses wearer. People who often used to dip their contacts in water and who used homemade saline solution. Or people who is so stubborn to listen to the facts.
So if you happen to be at your friend’s house and you forgot to bring your saline solution, you better run to the nearest pharmacy or throw them away. Remove your lenses before taking a bath or swimming with it. You can buy prescription goggles instead. Or if you are trying to clean up your face in school, you can use wet facial towel that is readily available in the groceries.
Wearing contact lenses is not a matter of age but of maturity. A thirteen-year-old child, who can clean up he’s room on a regular basis, is a good candidate for handling contacts. In comparison, to an adult who thinks he can get away dipping he’s contacts in water and when he has too many excuses going to a pharmacy. Now you have the facts. You make the call!