Summer beach vacation helps not only to get a sexy tan, but also just physically and mentally relax after many months of hard work. Swimming, diving and diving are an integral and very pleasant part of the vacation, so before traveling, ophthalmic patients often wonder if it is possible to swim in the sea in lenses. As a rule, the answer to the question is negative, but there are several nuances.
Can I swim and dive into the sea in lenses?
Despite the inconvenience of swimming in glasses or without any vision-correcting accessories, no specialist will allow to spend time in any pond without removing contact lenses.
The problem is that sea water is rich not only with salts, minerals, but also with a multitude of microscopic organisms. If you get into the space between the cornea of the eye and the back wall of the lens, they are capable of causing acute inflammation in the form of keratitis and conjunctivitis. Complications of these diseases are rare, but lead to blindness.
In addition, contact lenses are easy to lose, even if you bathe in the calm.
Another reason for the ban on bathing in the devices under consideration is the risk of damaging the cornea of the eye and the corrective accessory with the smallest particles of sand that are present in seawater, especially near the shore.
In what lenses can you swim in the sea?
An experienced ophthalmologist will advise you to remove accessories before visiting the beach and put them on after swimming. Special lenses for swimming in the sea does not exist, but there is an interesting alternative to their wearing.
Orthokeratological lenses are devices with a unique shape and inverse curvature. They are designed for putting on before going to bed. Overnight, these lenses expand the epithelial cells of the cornea, and temporarily correct the visual impairment. Therefore, the whole next day a person can not use either glasses or contact lenses.
If you purchased orthokeratological accessories did not work, you can resort to one of the three options for getting out of the situation:
- Reserve with disposable contact lenses , changing them after each bath. Simultaneously, the cornea should be rinsed with antiseptic drops.
- Wear the usual lenses, but swim in a quality waterproof mask or diving glasses.
- Use a mask with diopters, without wearing contact lenses at all.
The last option is the safest, since it does not involve the risk of infection of the eyes.