Is It Bad to Wear Contacts in the Shower?

Contacts are super convenient and widely used, so you’ve probably heard that you shouldn’t sleep in them. But you might not know that you shouldn’t shower while wearing them, as that can open you up to potential issues like a bacterial infection or even damage to the cornea. Water seems pretty harmless, so what’s the danger?

When water touches your contact lens, it can cause it to warp, swell or stick to the eye, which in turn can scratch your cornea. And most water has various germs in it, so that scratched cornea is where bad germs can enter and cause an infection in the eye, or conjunctivitis. Symptoms of conjunctivitis include red, itchy eyes and often times discharge, all of which can be uncomfortable and difficult to manage. In more severe cases, you may develop keratitis, a condition where the cornea becomes inflamed and can cause vision loss if not treated right away.

While showering is the most frequent instance of water-related activities for most people, in general contacts and water don’t mix. That means swimming in pool or using a hot tub, too.

If water does touch your contacts, take them out as soon as possible, cleaning and disinfecting them overnight before wearing them again. You may even consider throwing that one out to fully reduce the risk of infection. If you’re experiencing symptoms of an infection in the eye, call your doctor right away to get it checked out.