The Dangers of Showering with Contact Lenses

CANTIKA.COM, Jakarta - For those of you who wear contact lenses or soft lenses every day, there is one habit that you might consider trivial but can be dangerous for your eye health. What is it? In fact, eye doctors say it is one of the worst things you can do to your eyes, which is not removing your contact lenses when showering. Some people do this without realizing it, but the risks are quite serious.

Why You Should Not Shower with Contact Lenses

According to Ashley Brissette, an eye doctor in New York, the shower water is not sterile. It contains various microorganisms, including Acanthamoeba, amoeba that can adhere to the surface of contact lenses when exposed to water.

The problem is, when the contact lenses are in the eyes, the natural defense of the cornea weakens. This combination can trigger a rare but serious infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis.

What are the risks?

- Severe eye pain

- Scarring of the cornea

- Permanent vision loss

- It can even lead to corneal transplantation

Dr. Brissette mentioned that this infection can reduce your quality of life for a full year. So, the impact is real and should not be underestimated.

So, What Should We Do?

Unfortunately, shower filters do not reduce the risk of this infection. So what safe steps can we take? Remove your contact lenses before showering, even if it means showering with blurred vision.

If you have to wear lenses while showering, make sure the water does not touch your face. This rule also applies when swimming, especially in lakes or public pools.

According to Dr. Brissette, this infection is not as rare as you might think. You can even find many experiences shared on TikTok that demonstrate how serious this issue is.

If you often have trouble removing your lenses before showering, consider other alternatives such as vision correction procedures or reverting to wearing glasses for certain activities.

Eye health is not something that can be postponed. Small things like showering with contact lenses can have a big impact. So, from now on, ensure that you take care of your eyes properly and follow safe steps every day.

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