Risks of LASIK vs. Contact Lenses for Swimming

    WESTPORT, CT, March 28, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- "Being a cornea specialist in Fairfield County Connecticut means that we see a good number of contact lens wearers who are college students for eye exams at Doctor & Associates. With spring break plans right around the corner, we often hear patient questions about wanting to wear their contacts while in a pool, the ocean or hot tub," commented Leslie Doctor, M.D. "Contact lenses really should not be worn for swimming, taking showers, in bath tubs or in hot tubs as this poses safety risks to patients."

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that contact lenses not be exposed to any form of water. Although rare, a sight-threatening eye complication, Acanthamoeba Keratitis, is caused by an organism present in all forms of impure water (i.e., swimming pools, tap water, saunas, wells, and showers). "Acanthamoeba and some other forms of bacteria present in water can become attached to the surface of contact lenses. This can predispose contact lens wearers to undue risk and result resulting in an infection," said Dr. Leslie Doctor. Contact lenses are really quite safe as long as they are properly fit and patients take the proper care of them along with following to some simple guidelines including:

- Insert your contact lenses after showering.
- If lenses are being worn while showering, it is recommended that you keep your eyes firmly closed.
- If you accidently wear your contact lenses while in the bathtub or hot tub, care should be taken to avoid water being splashed into the eyes.
- If your eyes are exposed to water, instill a lubricating drop to help loosen the lens on the eye, remove the lens with clean, dry hands, then clean and disinfect the lens, or discard it.
- Never sleep in a lens that has been exposed to water without first cleaning and disinfecting it.
- If lenses were removed prior to getting in a hot tub, they must be properly cleaned and disinfected before being re-inserted.

"Following these pretty simply steps will help lessen any risk of water contamination and keep you safer. If water restrictions such as not swimming with contacts-or even the need for caution in bath tubs and showering are a hassle for your daily routine, you may want to consider discussing LASIK as a possible option for your vision correction," said Dr. Leslie Doctor.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Connecticut eye care practice providing eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and Intraocular Lens Implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and management of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services. For those patients in need of eye surgery, as a founding member of the Wilton Surgery Center, Doctor & Associates eye surgeons are able to provide eye surgery in a convenient, close to home and cost effective ambulatory surgery center.

To learn more about Doctor & Associates you may visit http://www.doctor-and-associates.com or http://www.facebook.com/doctorandassociates.

SOURCE: Medical Management Services Group, L.L.C.

For additional information, contact:
Dorothy Figueroa, Doctor & Associates
129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880
[email protected]
203-227-4113.

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