What You Should Know About Swimming and Your Eyes …

Swimming, whether it be a leisure activity or a daily workout, can be hard on your eyes and vision. The American Academy of Ophthalmology explains that the tear film (a thin layer of tears) coats the surface of our eyes and keeps them moist, smooth and clear. Chemicals used to keep pools clean, such as chlorine, can wash away the moist layer. This is why you might leave a pool with your eyes feeling uncomfortable and often red. Bacteria in the pool that aren’t killed by the chlorine can leave you with an eye infection.

How you can protect your eyes:About Swimming and Your Eyes

Wear Goggles

Wear a pair of swim goggles every time you swim. Goggles keep pool chemicals out of your eyes, helping to keep your tear film healthy.

Wash Your Eyes

Splash your closed eyes with fresh water immediately after swimming. This washes chlorine and other chemicals off your eyelids and eyelashes.

Use Eye Drops...

Use over-the-counter lubricating eye drops before and after swimming to keep the tear film balanced and eyes comfortable.

...or Use Gel Tears

Got dry eye? Help protect your tear film by putting in thicker artificial tears—called gel tears—before putting on your goggles. Check with your ophthalmologist to see about prescription eye drops as well.

Stay Hydrated

Don’t forget to drink plenty of water. Staying well hydrated is an important part of keeping your eyes moist and comfortable.

When you experience dry eye:

If you swim often, you might experience dry eye. If this is the case, you may need to use over-the-counter eye drops before and after swimming. Artificial tears, also know as gel tears, can also help protect your tear film. Keep in mind this is not to be substituted for swimming goggles.

For contact wearers:

If you wear contacts, remove them before you get in the water. Bacteria from pools, hot tubs and other natural bodies of water can leave bacteria on your lenses. Because contacts are generally worn for an extended period of time, your eyes will be continually exposed to the bacteria. This can lead to an infection, or in worse cases, corneal damage or vision loss.

While wearing goggles with contacts is better than without, there’s still a risk. You may opt for a pair of prescription goggles, which will enable you to see clearly underwater without the risk. Keep in mind that while some can be custom-made, the ready-made goggles don’t correct astigmatism and only come in common prescriptions.

For more information on how you can obtain prescription goggles, contact your optometrist.

Sources:

  1. What You Should Know About Swimming and Your Eyes
  2. What You Should Know About Swimming and Your Eyes

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To make your appointment, simply give us a call (760)-948-3345About Swimming and Your EyesorAbout Swimming and Your Eyes

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At Golden Eye Optometry, we view good vision care as front line protection at every age. A routine eye exam can detect more than poor vision. It can shed early light on glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts and diabetes.

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