Washing your face is something most of us do on autopilot, once in the morning and again before bed. If you wear contact lenses, the order you do things in can affect how your eyes feel for the rest of the day.
Technically, you can wash your face with your contacts in. We recommend taking them out first, though, since tap water and cleansers can cling to your lenses and raise your risk of an eye infection. Your optometrist can also walk you through good lens care habits at your next eye exam.
Why Tap Water & Contacts Don’t Mix
Tap water contains small amounts of germs, even when it’s safe to drink. One of them is Acanthamoeba, a single-celled organism that can cause a rare, painful infection of the cornea.
Soft contacts absorb water. When tap water soaks into a lens, whatever germs it carries can stay pressed against your eye for hours.
Water can also make soft lenses swell and stick to your eye, so each blink may start to feel scratchy. Over time, habits like this can raise your risk of an eye infection that leaves your eyes sore and red for days.
What Happens If You Wash Your Face with Lenses In
Cleansers and makeup removers are made for your skin. When they reach your lenses, they can leave a thin film that makes everything look hazy, and oil-based removers or cleansing balms are especially hard to rinse off.
If you use a scrub, tiny exfoliating grains can slip under a lens and feel like sand every time you blink. You might also notice stinging, or feel a lens slide off-center and stick to your eye. Any of these can leave you with blurry vision that lingers after you’ve dried off.
Warning Signs to Watch For
Your eyes usually let you know when something isn’t right. Watch for these if water or soap gets near your lenses:
- Redness
- Stinging
- Itchiness
- Watery eyes
- Blurry vision
Take your lenses out and switch to glasses for the rest of the day. If the pain or redness doesn’t improve, reach out for emergency eye care so your optometrist can check your eyes for signs of infection.
What to Do if Water Gets on Your Contacts
Take your lenses out as soon as you can if water splashes into your eyes while they’re in. Throw away daily disposables. For reusable lenses, clean and disinfect them in fresh solution overnight before you wear them again.
Skip tap water when you rinse or store your lenses, and use contact lens solution to clean your case as well. Any water left in the case can carry germs straight back to your lenses the next time you store them.
Quick Daytime Fix
A few minutes of planning can keep soap and water away from your lenses. Try this order:
- Wash and dry your face before you put your contacts in.
- Wash your hands with soap and water, then dry them with a clean, lint-free towel.
- Put your lenses in.
- At night, take your lenses out before you wash your face or remove your makeup.
If you wear eye makeup, put in your contacts first, then apply makeup. That way, you won’t touch your lenses with fingers that have mascara or eyeliner on them.
Need to freshen up during the day? Wash your hands, set your lenses in their case with fresh solution, and then wash your face. Once your face and hands are dry, put your contacts back in. If you wear daily disposables, you can open a new pair instead.
Other Times to Take Out Your Contacts
Water reaches your lenses during plenty of other everyday moments. Take your contacts out before:
- Showering
- Swimming in a pool, lake, or ocean
- Using a hot tub
Pop them out before a nap, too. Sleeping in contacts, even for 20 minutes on the couch, can increase your risk of an eye infection. Less oxygen reaches your eye when your lids close over a lens.
While your lenses are in, keep your hands away from your eyes as much as you can. Rubbing your eyes can move a lens out of place and transfer germs from your fingers.
Get Help with Your Contact Lens Routine
A few small changes at the sink can help keep your eyes comfortable from morning to night. Your optometrist can check how your lenses fit and suggest a lens type that suits your schedule. For example, daily disposables can make midday face washing a lot simpler.
If your eyes often feel dry or scratchy by the end of the day, ask us about dry eye therapy options that work with contacts.
Our team at Total Vision Seal Beach is happy to answer your contact lens questions and help you build a routine you’ll stick with. Book an appointment today!
