Can I Put Contacts in Water?

When you first start wearing contact lenses, you take forever to put them in! You may also take some time adjusting to wearing them. Then you may also worry tirelessly about the lenses ripping or falling out.

The last thing you would want is to be somewhere and lose a contact lens. This will leave your vision blurry in one eye. Or perhaps you need to go to sleep, but don't have a contacts case and lens solution handy.

These sorts of occurrences are common. This is why many new lens wearers ask the question, "Can I put contacts in water?"

Read on to discover the answer to this question. You will also learn a lot more about the details surrounding these scenarios.

Do Contacts and Water Mix?

Contrary to what you may have heard, it's not at all safe to put your contacts in water. But, if you did so by mistake — it won't be the end of the world. You can always disinfect your contacts with lens solution. You just need to understand that soaking them in water can damage the contacts and your eyes.

The water you soak the lenses in contains bacteria and organisms and has a different consistency than lens solution. Your lenses will absorb the water, making them heavier and increasing the likelihood that they warp. This can make it incredibly uncomfortable to wear your lenses and even hurt your eyes.

Thinking of putting your lens in your mouth to give it a bit of moisture when you don't have contact lens solution? Please don’t! Your mouth is a hotbed of bacteria, so your saliva can infect your eyes if you get this bacteria on your contact lenses.

How Can I Prepare for Contact Lens Emergencies?

Since putting your contacts in water is a flat out NO, you should do everything you can to prepare for emergencies.

When you wear contact lenses long enough, you'll know that mistakes happen. The best thing you can do is to prepare an emergency contact lens kit.

This kit should consist of an empty case and a travel size bottle of contact lens solution. You also need another contacts case with a spare set of lenses inside. You can fit these items in a little pouch that you can take with you wherever you go.

Contact lenses aside, always keep a backup pair of glasses with you. This will come in handy even if you've been out and simply want to give your eyes a rest. Make sure that you always get your glasses prescription filled as well. You also need to purchase a hard case that will protect the frames.

What Can I Do to Prolong Lens Quality?

To get more wear out of your lenses, follow the best practices for taking them out and putting them in, to the letter.

Many people start to skip steps once they've got it down and end up cutting corners. The little things, like washing your hands with soap and water, and massaging the lens with solution are essential. These steps all help your lenses to stay in great condition.

While you shouldn't put water on your lenses, make sure that you're putting lots of water into your body. In a lot of cases, contacts become dry and irritating, not due to the lenses, but because you're dehydrated.

Drinking plenty of water helps your eyes to produce more moisture. In turn, your hydrated eyes will keep your lenses moisturized.

How Can I Prevent Discomfort While Wearing My Lenses?

For starters, be sure that the case you're using is always clean.

Grime will build on and in the case that can make your contacts rough to wear. Take some hot soap and water to the case and scrub hard to make it as good as new. However, your lens case isn’t everlasting! Please replace your contacts storage case once every three months.

You also need to know when to let a pair of contact lenses go. If you've been wearing them for too long, they'll begin to get scratchy and uncomfortable in your eyes. Never wear your lenses past their recommended schedules. You should also never wear expired contacts.

It may be worthwhile to also carry some rewetting drops. That way, you can ensure that your lenses are always moisturized.

What if I Need to Buy Some Emergency Contact Lenses?

There may be a time where you're travelling and simply don't have a backup set of lenses available. When this happens, you should shop around ASAP so you can buy a box of lenses.

This is why it's so important to have a valid prescription for the year. You can bring the hard copy with you or have a PDF in your email account. This will allow you to get your prescription filled from any licensed optometrist.

These prescriptions are good for a year, so always know when it's time to get a new appointment. If you can't find a copy of your current prescription, don’t worry! Your optometrist’s office can forward it to where you're purchasing your lenses.

If you don't have a prescription and are really in a pinch, you can always stop in at a local optometrist or optician. Even if they don't have boxes in stock, you'll generally always leave with a trial pair that can tide you over.

Keep up with Your Eye Health and Lens Care

You've now answered the common question, "Can I put contacts in water?" You should begin to learn all that you can about wearing your lenses properly.

Wearing contact lenses becomes a big part of your life once you get that first prescription filled. To preserve your vision, it's important that you avoid the most common mistakes.

Above all, you need to keep your medicine cabinet stocked with high-quality lenses to enhance your vision. Just make sure they are within their expiry dates. In the meantime, stay tuned to our website so that you can catch a sale on some contact lenses!