Can I surf with contact lenses and What’re the risks | Surfing tips

Many people refuse to surf due to short-sightedness and astigmatism. Without glasses they will lose clear vision and become nervous. To mitigate the effects of myopia, wearing contact lenses is the most effective way. Compared to other water sports, surfing is relatively intense. Then can we who suffer from near-sightedness and astigmatism surf with contact lenses? And what is pro and cons of wearing contact lenses to go surf? Can I surf with contact lenses? | Potential risks and responses | Alternative to contact lenses

Many people refuse to surf due to short-sightedness and astigmatism. Without glasses they will lose clear vision and become nervous. To mitigate the effects of myopia, wearing contact lenses is the most effective way. Compared to other water sports, surfing is relatively intense. Then can we who suffer from near-sightedness and astigmatism surf with contact lenses? And what is pro and cons of wearing contact lenses to go surf?

Can I wear contact lenses?

The answer is yes, but surfing with contact lenses can be a little bit risky. For most short-sightedness surfers, if can surf without contact lenses, it should be avoided. Otherwise, surfers should determine after balancing the risks and benefits of wearing them. Wearing contact lenses offers surfers two main benefits: one is to provide better vision for who suffer from short-sightedness and astigmatism, and the other is to provide eyes with UV protection.

Having a clear view is important for surfers. It helps us grasp the movements and action of surrounding surfers accurately then we can surf more effectively and safely, while help to reducing collisions risks and conflicts caused by misjudgment. Seeing distant waves allows us react earlier and have more time to prepare. In addition, watching others surf closely to learn from them is always better than watching on shore.

Surfing are mostly carried out in sunny day, so outdoor UV levels are extremely high. Strong UVA, UVB, and the sea surface reflected sunlight can harm surfers’ eyes. Long term exposure will cause irreversible damage. Wearing contact lenses is one of solution to protects our eyes from UV light in some level.

Potential risks and responses

Surfing with contact lenses carries some potential risks, the most common risk is that contact lenses falling off. Although it will not cause physical damage to surfers, but they would feel sucks anyway after losing, and their mood would be affected for the rest surfing time. Meanwhile, there will be elevated risk condition if unfortunately contact lenses slip to the bottom of the eyelids, or microbial from the ocean infects our eyes. Surfers should be fully aware of the risks before wearing contact lenses when surfing.

Fall off and loss:
Contact lenses are extremely easy to fall off during surfing due to frequent falls and waves hitting. Wearing daily contact lenses or substitutes are the best choice to reduce the cost of loss. Close our eyes instantly when we are hit by waves or falls can reduce the possibility of contact lenses falling off from eyes. Moreover, contact lenses are available in size. Choosing diameter of contact lenses as large as possible while make sure eyes are comfortable to wear is also a solution.

Sand or foreign matter come into eyes:
Water becomes very muddy when waves break as sand and other tiny granule (such as animal and plant debris, shell scrap, etc.) rolling over after the waves. Sand and others easily go into our eyes with the water. For those foreign objects already into the eye, the general treatment is to dive into water then flush underwater and avoid kneading eyes and dive into the water. However once we wearing contact lenses, we cannot rinse our eyes efficiently in general way. Strong hitting by waves may push sand go stuck between contact lenses and eyeballs and that is the worse situation. At which point we should not knead eyes which cause serious injuries and return to shore, carefully remove contact lenses and rinse eyes. We has to take care our eyes seriously when sand and foreign objects go into, If not it may cause irreversible damage to the eyes properly!

Contact lenses slip and accumulate inside eyes:
In general, contact lenses fall off directly when we hit by waves. However, in some extreme cases, contact lenses can also have ridiculously small potential to accumulate inside eye lips and make eyes uncomfortable. If we are not sensitive to foreign objects inside eyes, then it will cause serious consequences of infection. When contact lenses fall off during surfing, surfers should pay attention about discomfort of eyes. If so, we should go onshore to check our eyes. If it doesn’t relief in other couple days, we should go for doctor as soon as possible.

Microbial contamination and eye infections:
Surfing with contact lenses is more likely to cause eye infections than surfing with bare eyes. There are many microorganisms and viruses in the sea and material of contact lens cannot block microorganisms invasion that lets microorganisms from the sea attach to or even invade contact lenses. continue wearing contaminated contact lenses easily cause eye infections. To reduce the risk of eye infections, contact lenses should be removed after surfing. To avoid reusing contact lenses and reusable contact lenses. In the event of eye infections, red eyes, and other symptoms, we should immediately stop using contact lenses and ask for treatment immediately.

Replacement for contact lenses

Swimming goggles
(with diopter)
Pros:
(1) Completely replace contact lenses with low risks of eye damage.

Cons:
(1) Fixed through by ribs, easily cause discomfort after long time using.
(2) Vision is blocked in some levels.
(3) Easy to fall off when surfing, need additional strap.
Surf sunglasses
(with diopter)
Pros:
(1) High UV protection and relatively comfortable.

Cons:
(1) Easy to fall off when surfing, need additional strap.
(2) Easy to break and may cause eye injury.
(3) Ask for better surfing technique, otherwise will affect surfing experience.
Bare-eyed surfingIf short-sightedness is below -5.0, try bare-eyed surfing.