Can you wear lenses for swimming and other questions answered

If you live in a country that doesn't have a lot of sunshine throughout the year, such as the UK, a sunbed can help you to get a tan. When relaxing under a sunbed for several minutes, every precautionary measure must be taken in order to prevent damage happening to contact lenses. We recommend taking off contact lenses before tanning, as the drying effect caused by the warmth may lead to sensitive eyes.

However, contact lenses can be worn whilst sat under a sunbed but you should have adequate protection. Although it can be tempting to wear sunglasses because this is what happens when sunbathing on a beach, wear eye globes or specialised goggles instead. This is because excessive temperatures can melt sunglasses. However, when specialised goggles or eye globes are worn, this won't happen. Even if you're lying under a sunbed for up to twenty minutes, wearing either of these items at all times will protect your eyes and contact lenses won't be damaged.

Swimming whilst wearing contact lenses might seem like a great idea but it can cause a number of problems. When contact lenses are worn whilst swimming in a pool or the ocean, water can splash in your eyes. If this happens, contact lenses can be dislodged and eyesight becomes blurry again. This situation is very unsettling, largely because you might believe that contact lenses have fallen behind the back of your eye. However, this is impossible because contact lenses aren't able to.

When swimming whilst wearing contact lenses, infection can happen to a cornea. If water splashes into your eye, permanent damage can be caused. Even when a small amount of water gets near your eye, lenses can start to tighten and starve it of oxygen. There are some contact lenses that shouldn't be worn at all when swimming, such as gas permeable (GP). Even when contact lenses are worn whilst swimming, they must be thrown away after, that's why we recommend daily disposable lenses if you wish to swim with contact lenses in. Whenever you do wear contact lenses while swimming, we recommend wearing tight fitting goggles to avoid getting water in your eyes.

Swimming goggles can help contact lens wearers to protect their eyes. We recommend that a tight fitting pair of goggles is worn to stop fresh water in a swimming pool or salt water from touching contact lenses.

You're bound to look forward to getting on a plane and contact lenses should be considered before setting off on a holiday or a short trip abroad. Contact lenses can be worn in a variety of situations. On a short haul flight that lasts for a couple of hours, the same contact lenses can be worn. However, when on a long haul flight that takes several hours, daily lenses might not be entirely appropriate because you could fall asleep. In this situation, contact lenses might not be appropriate.

When packing a suitcase, make sure that you have enough contact lenses. If you wear daily disposable contact lenses, buy enough from Vision Direct before arriving at a boarding gate. When travelling abroad for a couple of days, check that you have many replacement contact lenses in case they get damaged. Keep a pair of glasses in your hand luggage just in case.

If you have a stye, it will be very uncomfortable. As it is a type of infection, Vision Direct recommends that contact lenses aren't worn at all until a stye has fully gone away or you have completed a course of treatment.

When contact lenses are worn if you have a stye, infection can happen to other areas of your eyes that are healthy. If you wear monthly contact lenses, infection remains on them even when rinsed in cleaning solution. When monthly contact lenses are put back into an eye, you could develop further styes. Even if you have a small stye, it can become bigger. Therefore, as soon as a stye has developed in your eye, take out contact lenses and dispose of them. By getting rid of contact lenses as soon as a stye has been detected, you're improving the health of your eye.