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From: rlr@pyuxn.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Extended wear & regular soft contact lenses: showering/swimming
Message-ID: <312@pyuxn.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Oct-83 10:16:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxn.312
Posted: Mon Oct 17 10:16:51 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Oct-83 03:45:33 EDT
References: <557@ihuxx.UUCP> <437@cbosgd.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Piscataway
Lines: 22

I've been told that you can shower/wash your hair as long as you don't
stand with your face pointing right up at the spray for prolonged
periods of time.  Though I've known people who have lost lenses this
way, I myself have never lost a lens in the shower.  But then, I'm *very*
paranoid about my lenses (almost always carrying a lens case and saline bottle
and always worrying if I forget them), and probably exercise extreme
caution in the shower, which is not a bad idea, I guess.

But, as far as swimming goes, I've been told that it's not a good idea for
several reasons.  First is, obviously, the potential for losing them, which
I guess you could avoid if you kept your eyes closed underwater, etc., but
I wouldn't take the chance myself.  The other reason is that, because the
lenses are so absorbent of the liquids around them, the chlorine found in
pool water will be readily abosrbed by your lenses.  (I guess the same goes
for any impurities in lake or ocean water; even though ocean water is more
like saline solution than lake or pool water, I wouldn't advise storing one's
lenses in it :-)  I was also told that goggles are no good at alleviating any
of these potential problems, though I've never tried it myself.  Does anyone
know of any goggles specially designed for wearing lenses while swimming?

Apparently these concepts apply to all soft lenses equally, extended wear or
not.				Rich Rosen    pyuxn!rlr