Whether you enjoy hiking, cycling, running, or yoga, contact lenses give you total freedom to concentrate on your favourite sport. Unlike glasses, they don’t slip down your nose or obstruct your peripheral vision, and they won’t fog up or get splattered with rain or sweat (no matter how hard you’re training!).
Better still, it only takes a few simple steps to keep your contact lenses clean and comfortable during your workout. Next time you lace up your trainers, keep these tips in mind…
How to exercise safely with contact lenses
Keep them clean
Being thorough about hygiene is absolutely essential when it comes to contact lenses, especially after coming into contact with dirt and sweat. Always wash your hands before touching your lenses to minimise the risk of harmful bacteria entering the eye and causing an infection. If you don’t have access to clean water and soap, carry hand sanitiser or antibacterial wipes with you — but make sure to choose natural-based products without harsh chemicals like triclosan. If you’re using hand sanitiser, we’d recommend waiting a few minutes before touching your eye.
Bring a spare pair
It’s a good idea to refresh your lenses after a workout. Dailies can simply be replaced with a fresh pair. If you use monthly lenses, you’ll need to clean them with solution before putting them back in. This removes the risk of exposing your eyes to harmful bacteria that may have built up on the lenses during exercise. If you’re travelling or out and about, it’s handy to carry a small kit with spare lenses, travel-sized solution, and eye drops just in case.
Switch to dailies
If you have an active lifestyle and find cleaning monthly lenses a hassle, consider switching to dailies. Comfortable and convenient, you can simply remove and discard them at the end of your workout — no cleaning, no solution to carry around. Easy.
Stay hydrated
Our eyes need tears to stay healthy. When our body is dehydrated, our eyes can become dry and sore — a common condition known as dry eye. Sweat dripping into your eyes can cause additional irritation.
Keep artificial tears (lubricating eye drops) to hand to help soothe dry eyes and flush out dirt or irritants. Drinking plenty of water before a workout will help flush salt from your body and keep your eyes hydrated. And if sweat is making your eyes sting, try wearing a sweatband.
Watch out for the sun
We all know protecting our skin from the sun is important. But many of us don’t realise our eyes are just as susceptible to sun damage. Prolonged exposure to sunlight without protection can increase the risk of developing eye conditions in the future, such as macular degeneration and cataracts.
If you exercise outdoors regularly or for long periods of time, you should protect your eyes with a good pair of sunglasses. Look for the CE mark to know your sunglasses meet EU safety standards. Many contact lenses have UV filters and, while they don’t replace sunglasses, they do provide an extra layer of protection.
Avoid contact with water
If you’ve been wearing contact lenses for a while, you’ve probably heard of the NSS rule: don’t sleep, shower, or swim in your lenses. Why? Because exposing your lenses to any type of water — including tap water, swimming pools, hot tubs, and the sea — can lead to discomfort and even infection.
Glasses make a great alternative, or if your vision doesn’t need much correction, simply remove your lenses before taking a dip.
Want to know more about eye health? Visit our Lensblog, packed with expert advice on everything from contact lens care to protecting your eyes in the sun.