Is that O.K. to snorkel with contact lens?
 

Hi, dear friends,
I'm going to maui and kauai next month and I will definitely go snorkeling. Since I'm wearing contact lens every day, I wonder how about that I still wear contact lens when I snorkel. How good is the mask protection?
Thanks in advance for your comments.

If you swim with them in, this should be no problem. I do it all the time.

If your prescription is weak, you may not "have" to because you get about a 20% magnification underwater.

Why don't you ask the ONE person who would know definitively--your ophthalmologist. We had a guest (unfortunately a foreign visitor) who swam with her contacts and got a horrendous eye infection. Our dr. said, absolutely no.

I can't suggest either way since this is between you and your Dr., however, my son who's very near sighted snorkeled with his contacts in very successfully. A good quality, well fitting mask is key so if you're considering it, think about buying one from a reputable outfitter. It may well be worth the price.

I snorkeled with contacts for years (oxygen permeable) For that reason, I always used my own mask. Practice with it- learn how to adjust it for proper seal. Be sure not to get hair in the way on forehead. I must say, swimming and snorkeling are a lot better now that I had LASIK!!!

As a previous poster stated,there is a magnification of about 20%. I have been diving for years and have never worn them,I see just fine with a mask. Understand this may not fit you eye script,but keep that in mind.

You could do what I did--spend a few extra bucks and get a prescription mask. It really isn't expensive and will save you a lot of worry about losing your lenses.

I've swam in the ocean for 20 years w/ contacts, snorkled once...never a problem.

Gretchen - what body of water was your friend swimming in?

Father surfed, snorkled and swam with his in. I have also swum and snorkled with mine and been fine. I would certainly take an extra pair just in case you do lose one it won't put a crimp in the rest of your trip.

I've done it with no problems, and I am nearsighted, so I did need them. The only danger is if your mask leaked a lot, you could lose your contacts if the water touched your eyes. Then again, I wear the "wear and toss" kind, so it's no big deal if I lose one!

I would ask my doctor. My cousin snorkeled with her contacts in and also got a terrible eye infection and had to wear a patch for a few days. That could ruin anyone's vacation.

Like Bugswife I bought a mask with a prescription. It's not expensive at all and will save you the worry of anything happening to your eyes.

My husband and I have both snorkeled for years with our contacts without any problems. My husband actually wears glasses normally but prefers to snorkel with contacts rather than a prescription mask. I wear my contacts every day. We've logged many dives wearing contacts too. I always bring extra lens just in case but haven't lost one yet. Just make sure your mask fits properly without any leaks and you should be fine.

You should speak to your eye doctor about getting a box daily disposable contacts just for your trip.

I wear contacts that you throw out each night. When I asked my eye doctor if I could snorkle with them, she said "Yes". You just have to throw them out afterwards.

With my gas perm lenses, I could swim, snorkle, raft, water ski, you name it. A little splash of water in the eye never dislodged or upset them. However, when I wore the soft lenses for a time (years ago) the tiniest drop of water irritated my eyes. That's just my own personal experience.

FYI, laser eye surgery changed my life! It's been six years now and my vision is still better than 20/20, without all the hassle and irritation of contacts. If you've ever considered this surgery, especially if you are severly nearsighted like I was, you may really be amazed by the results.

before i did the laser surgery, i snorkeled with my contacts (many times) and never had any problems. same for my husband.
and i had no idea one could get a prescription mask...interesting.

It is not recommended to wear your contacts while swimming. That does not mean you will suffer and harm your eyes if you do, but the risk is much higher than if you wore contacts and did not go swimming.

You could get an Acanthomeoba (spelling?) infection which is very serious. Ask your ophthalmologist (M.D.)

My husband and I have both swum (swam?) and snorkeled year-round for 25 years with soft contacts. No problem. But it MUST be salt water...regular water is awful and pools worse!

I have scuba dived to 130 feet with contacts and had no problems whatsoever.

I've snorkled in my gas perm lenses and had no problems at all. You wouldn't want water rushing in through the mask anyhow, and a few drops won't bother your eyes. But I'm finally getting lasik (been putting it off because I have to wear glasses for five months first due to wearing contacts for so long) and I can't wait!

Monica, I feel your pain, lol. Having to wear the coke bottle glasses in public every day and struggling to see with them was the hard part. But it will be worth it, trust me. Everyone will be thrilled for you the day you walk in without those glasses and you can SEE!

I remember the weirdest part of it all was feeling the air on my eyes after the surgery, because they'd always been behind contacts or glasses, never "exposed" so to speak. They watered for a while, now I'm used to it. Best of luck with your Lasik.

If you insist, try not to get more than a little bit of water in your mask. After swimming, go to the hotel, restaurant, or somewhere and take off your contacts for a few minutes if possible. Your tears may disperse the parasites away from your eyes. Rinse your contacts with the contact lens solution.

As I said, most people do not become blind from swimming in their contacts but the risk is definitely higher.

just want to wish Monica well. I was 20/350 for 35 yrs until I had LASIK 2 yrs ago. It changed my life overnight, literally. I know there are those w/complications, but I went to the doctor that did MY Dr's eyes, it went great and I thank God every day for this amazing surgery.

OK all you Lasik fans, I have a question: I have coke-bottle prescription (I think the number is 6.5) and have thought about it. However, as I am now 45 (that hurts to type) I am beginning to require reading glasses. Yet I am still nearsighted. Will lasik correct both or will I still need my readers? (And don't bother to scold me about getting eye advice from fellow Fodorites - my doctor doesn't like Lasik unless you CAN'T wear contacts.) Doesn't seem worth it unless I can throw away ALL my glasses. Thanks!

Sorry Joan, but you will still need the reading glasses. The Lasik surgery doesn't help with that problem. :(

Yes, laser eye surgery can correct nearsightedness and astigmatism because the laser reshapes the corneal surface. As far as I know, it cannot correct farsightedness. And it definitely cannot do anything about the aging process of the lens within your eyes, which becomes less elastic with age. That's why you need reading glasses.

BTW, my prescription was minus 11 before surgery, with lots of astigmatism to boot. A little pair of reading glasses just doesn't seem like a big deal now, lol.

Another plug for LASIX!!! It changed my life as well. In order to compensate for difficulties reading as one ages, some eye physicians will leave one eye slightly undercorrected during the LASIX procedure so that you still may be able to read without reading glasses.

uh...Kennedy....Lasix is a diuretic! LASIK is laser surgery.Unless you're a race horse,it might not change your life, LOL. I had monovision done, and it bought me a few years in reading glasses. (one eye is 20/35) I'm 48 and not yet needing reading glasses.

I was 20/400 with a diopter of -7.75 when I had PRK (forerunnerof Lasik) done in 1997 - I am about 20/40 now, only wear glasses for night driving, and drugstore reading glasses for close work/fine print. I am a staunch supporter of the new laser eye vision correction surgeries. Funny thing - my eyes were constantly dry in glasses or contacts - now they are never dry or itchy!

lun, I had PRK as well, had to go to Cananda to have it done, as the FDA had not yet approved the procedure for anyone with a diopter above -10 (at least that was the case back in 1997).

No more red eyes, no more contact solutions, no more glasses, no more struggling to see......this surgery really is life changing.

Make that "Canada" lol.

Wow! thanks for all the encouraging replies...I'm going to show this thread to my husband...maybe we can do it together!

Always swim in my contacts, I wear those little goggles that cover just the eyes, so the contacts don't float away and I can get splashed like anyone else. I try to purchase those that are tinted like sunglasses, this reduces the glare off the water too. And the goggle then serve 2 purposes.

Answering Joan's question about Lasik and reading glasses. Joan says she is nearsighted. This actually delays the need for reading glasses. Get Lasik and she will immediately need reading glasses. If she doesn't know this ahead of time, she may be very mad after it's done!

If she delays Lasik until she needs reading glasses, she will still need readers after the Lasik but will not be so dissatisfied like the above. It's just a matter of perception and change.

Joan should consider Lasek which is what I would have if I wanter laser vision correction. Post if you want more details and the reasons.l

I would also have only 1 eye done at a time for safety. A few doctors do this and most will probably do so if you ask for it. An infection in both eyes is not fun. An infection in one eye is better because the other eye can see while you recover from the sick eye.

Readers of this post: This thread is progressively straying from the subject. It is not meant to dispense medical advice. There is still nothing wrong with glasses or contact lenses; in fact contact lenses have improved markedly over the years and I personally would worry more about drowning, sharks, jellyfish, coral cuts, sunburn, urchins, and lightning while snorkeling than acanthamoeba. Keep the water out of your eyes regardless and ask your ophthalmologist. Surgery is an alternative that may or may not be the best option for an individual based on both physical and personal needs. Lasik can be used to correct moderate amounts of farsightedness in addition to other refractive error, and eyes often feel more dry after surgery for at least a few weeks to months. What works for one patient may not work for another. Also, talk to your ophthalmologist about corneal power measurements necessary when you inevitably develop cataract over the years. These are necessary to compute the power for implant lenses and can be difficult to accurately obtain after corneal refractive surgery. It is wise to have a record of your preoperative corneal measurements and your postoperative refraction on file as you may need this information if you need cataract surgery in the future.

Hi Joan...I had lasik surgery done 3 months..I can only say great things about it. It IS life changing. However, you must understand that you will most likely need your reading glasses, especially being in your 40s already. My surgeon made it clear that once I hit my 40s, it might be necessary for me to wear reading glasses.
But what's a pair of reading glasses, for being able to swim with no contacts? or wakeup in the morning and being able to see right away? or just seeing PERIOD!? I LOVE it.
Just please make sure you do your research on the eye surgeon you pick. You only want the best for your eyes. It took me a year to make up my mind. I went to one of the best eye surgeons in the country and he had done the surgery on several of my co-workers and family members (all extremely satisfied customers).
Check with your insurance company too. Some of them have begun to pick up some of the expense (mine picked up 25% of the cost..better than nothing!).
There are actually 2 types of lasik surgery now. There's the traditional one that will just fix your problem (astigmatism or near-sightedness or far-sightedness).
And the new one is called "custom cornea". "custom cornea" is based on the idea that there are oher imperfections of the cornea (other than astigmatism, near-sightedness or far-sightedness). Those other imperfections can't be fixed by traditional laser treatment. so "custom cornea" would be able to fix those other problems (like glare, haloes, starbursts and others). Obviously, that procedure is a bit more expensive. I ended up doing the "custom cornea". It was $500 per eye more.
I'm VERY happy with the procedure. My husband plans to do it next year.
The most important piece of advice I can give you is to make sure you research your doctor. Good luck!