As a longtime contact lens wearer, I’ve generally felt confident in my understanding of eye health and hygiene. I never sleep with my lenses in, always wash my hands before handling them and do my best to replace each pair with a new one at the recommended time.
But when I came across a Texas woman’s harrowing story on Instagram, I realized I was completely ignorant of another risky behavior, one that I do almost daily: wearing contacts in the shower.
“I went blind in one eye from showering in my contacts and had to get a cornea transplant,” Rachel Prochnow noted in a Reel she posted last month.
As the Austin local shared on social media, she was diagnosed with a severe parasitic eye infection known as Acanthamoeba keratitis in July 2023, following weeks of visits with doctors who couldn’t identify why her eye suddenly hurt so much.
The ensuing months were filled with “excruciating” pain, out-of-town medical appointments, hourly eyedrops, expensive and debilitating treatment, loss of vision and ultimately, a cornea transplant in the summer of 2024, she said.
Prochnow decided to share her story to raise awareness around the dangers of showering in your contacts, which she believes was the source of the infection.
“I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to do that. I had literally never ever been told you weren’t supposed to do that,” she said in an Instagram video, adding, “It can literally happen to anyone” who wears contacts.
So how exactly does showering in contacts cause horrifying infections like Acanthamoeba keratitis? HuffPost asked eye health experts to break down the risks involved and what you should do instead.
What happens if you shower in your contacts?
“Showering in contacts is risky,” Dr. James Kelly, an ophthalmologist and founder of Kelly Vision, told HuffPost. “Tap water is not sterile and can contain harmful microorganisms, just like natural bodies of water.”
He emphasized that even brief exposure seriously increases your risk of infection, which can lead to severe pain, permanent scarring, loss of vision, corneal ulcers and more.
“Wearing contact lenses in the shower isn’t as risky as swimming in them, but it’s still not recommended,” said Dr. Maria Montero, the associate director of clinical services at Orbis Flying Eye Hospital. “Water can introduce harmful bacteria and parasites, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acanthamoeba, which can get trapped under the lenses.”
If these organisms adhere to your contact lenses, you can develop a major eye infection like microbial keratitis, which may cause vision loss if not addressed promptly. To make matters worse, these conditions can be very difficult to diagnose and treat, particularly if you don’t live near a specialist familiar with the range of potential pathogens.
“Acanthamoeba protozoans or adenoviruses can be present in pools, seawater, hot tubs and showers,” explained Dr. Thomas J. Stokkermans, an optometrist and medical writer and reviewer at All About Vision. “Serratia marcescens causes ‘pink mold’ that can be found in bathrooms. It can also survive in hot water such as in hot tubs and showers.”
He added that Pseudomonas aeruginosa is also present in showers, as well as fresh water in nature and inadequately chlorinated pools and hot tubs.
“People have lost their eyes to waterborne infections,” Kelly noted. “The best practice is to remove your contacts before showering. If you absolutely must wear them, keep your eyes closed as much as possible and use preservative-free artificial tears afterward to flush out any potential contaminants.”
Are infections the only concern?
There are other risks to showering in contacts beyond these painful and potentially blinding infections.
“Water can alter the shape of soft contact lenses, making them uncomfortable or less effective,” Kelly said.
Soft contact lenses are porous, which makes them more pleasant to wear but also causes them to absorb water quickly. So if you shower with your contacts in, the lenses can swell and change shape so that they don’t fit as well in your eyes and become harder to remove. Cue discomfort, blurry vision and dryness.
And it’s not just the moisture that causes lens warping.
“Contact lenses are designed to be in the tear film, which has a certain salt concentration, which is called osmolarity,” Stokkermans said. “Water with a different osmolarity can warp the lenses affecting the fit. This can irritate or damage the eye’s surface.”
What about baths?
“Bathwater can also contain bacteria, soap and shampoo residues that may get trapped under your lenses, leading to irritation or infection,” Kelly said. “If you’re just lounging in a hot tub or taking a bath without submerging your head, the risks are lower than if you were swimming or dunking your face in the water, but there are still some concerns.”
Rubbing or otherwise touching your eyes with wet hands from the tub can also introduce contaminants. The same goes for splashing water in your face, whether intentionally or by accident.
Kelly noted that there are other risks beyond harmful microorganisms and potential infections as well.
“Hot tubs and baths create a warm, humid environment that can dry out contact lenses, making them stick to the cornea and feel uncomfortable,” he said.
Thus, there’s also a risk of corneal abrasions if you’re not cautious.
“The safest thing is to never wear contact lenses when swimming, in the shower or using hot tubs or other baths,” Stokkermans said.
Cavan Images via Getty Images
What should you do if you get shower or bath water in your eyes while wearing contacts?
“It is imperative to avoid any type of interaction between water and your contact lenses,” said Dr. Ella Faktorovich, an eye doctor and founder of Pacific Vision Institute. “This includes cleaning your contact lenses with tap water ― huge no-no.”
If water gets into your eyes during a shower or bath while you’re wearing contact lenses, take them out and then clean your eye area with saline solution or artificial tears.
“Remove the contacts ASAP and discard them, and put in a fresh pair,” Faktorovich advised.
You might also consider just wearing your glasses for the remainder of the day. If you use monthly lenses, take the time to thoroughly disinfect them.
“You should never rinse or store your contacts in tap water ― it’s not sterile and can introduce harmful microorganisms,” Kelly said. “If you have frequent eye infections, consider switching to daily disposable lenses to minimize contamination risks.”
Pay attention to any issues that arise following interactions between contact lenses in your eyes and tap water from a shower or bath.
“If you experience any sudden eye pain, redness, or blurry vision after water exposure, see an ophthalmologist ASAP,” Kelly advised. “Early treatment is critical to preventing permanent damage.”
In general, you should make sure you’re disposing of your contact lenses on the recommended timeline, whether that’s every day, every two weeks or every month. Your eye health is not a place where you want to stretch boundaries, so just try to follow all the recommended practices.
“The biggest risks for contact lens wearers come from bad hygiene habits — such as sleeping in contacts, not washing and drying hands before handling them, or using anything other than contact lens solution to clean and store them,” Montero said. “To help keep your eyes safe, always remove your contacts before bed, clean them properly, check them for tears, and keep the storage case extremely clean to prevent contamination.”
The original version of this story was published on HuffPost at an earlier date.