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BlueMermaid
05-21-2012, 05:35 PM
Has anyone tried swimming in their contact lenses? If so, did they fall out? Could you see ok?

If no one has, would you be willing to do a swim test and let me know how it turns out?

I'd really like to get some contacts but not sure it's worth it if I can't swim in them.

mermaidmeaghan99
05-21-2012, 06:05 PM
So, I was looking on the internet, and Hannah Mermaid bought some contact lenses that I think cost about 2000$, they were SPECIFICALLY meant for the water, but she also said that they fell out and she did not use them again. Honestly, I do not think that using or buying contact lenses for the water is such a good idea, but look more into it, they might have some other contact lenses that are meant for the water!

Kanti
05-21-2012, 06:46 PM
I'm blind as a bat so everytime I go in the water I have contacts on xD
Honestly, I'd lost around 3 contacts my whole life in water, so there is a risk, but it is pretty minimal.
You just sort of have to pay attention and get a feel for it.

I think the time that you're most at risk to lose a contact in the water is when there's current that's not
heading straight for you. If you swim forward but are looking sideways, you risk allowing the current to flow
under the contact and pop it off. If you're performing as a mermaid and are mostly making slow movements
or staying still at the bottom of the tank, your risk is pretty minimal. If you're going to be doing flips, spins,
or any sort of underwater maneuver, you can simply close your eyes or squint a bit to prevent the contact
from falling out.

First getting in the water is also a bit risky. Usually the first time you open your eyes underwater, the contacts
are going to be pulled from your eyes because contacts tend to stick to areas that are more wet, so in the case
that you just get underwater, your eye is a lot less wet than the surrounding water.
Simply open you're eyes halfway and let some water get into your eyes and under your contacts. Then slowly blink
a few times and allow the water to get absorbed onto the surface of your eye.
Usually after that they don't bother me again.

I've even gone under with my speciaty contacts and the same thing applies. SFX lenses are often thicker so it's
more noticeable when they start to lift off.

AniaR
05-21-2012, 07:19 PM
I dont need them, but my father wears them in the water constantly. Just general prescription ones, and the man has even found them in the water when they fell out. lol.

Blondie
05-21-2012, 08:09 PM
Yeah I'm pretty darn blind myself and I swim with my contact lenses in. My mom used to make the biggest deal with me doing it when I was younger but now I've pretty much gotten a hang of keeping them in my eyes!

Normally, if there's a current like said before, I keep my eyes slightly squinted so that my lids hold down to the top and bottom of the lens. I'm a -10 and -11 and I have astigmatism. So believe when I say I'm pretty blind. But when I open my eyes under water, it's not much different from when I was younger and had good vision. Everything is still pretty blurred.

So either way, wearing contacts underwater doesn't really make your vision any better...

MermaidRaegan
05-21-2012, 10:02 PM
My Dad never takes his out, even to sleep. (Yeah, I know, it's awful. I yell at him lots but at a certain age people are just set in their ways.) He's swam in them several times and has never lost one. I don't know how expensive they really are, because I know his are special because he can barely see. But I'm pretty sure that they're the same as plain old perscription in material and build and such, so I think you'd be able to do it.

Spindrift
05-21-2012, 10:36 PM
@MermaidRaegan: That sounds like that will do a lot of damage to the cornea. Does he ever clean them?

michellerobison
05-22-2012, 12:42 AM
Wow,I used to wear contacts until the ole peepers went to bifocal and I couldn't see well with those. I was told not to swim in them since contacts absorb everything,like bacteria.... So unless you own your pool and are sure no one is peeing in it.not sure I'd risk it...
Has anyone had issues w/ eye infections wearing contacts to swim?

I just swim w/o my glasses and I can see a little better under water than above...

Sucks getting old!

MermaidRaegan
05-22-2012, 01:23 AM
Everyday, or at least he used to. My Momma gets onto him a lot about cleaning them and changing into fresh lenses all the time because he always forgets to take them out. :p

BlueMermaid
05-22-2012, 08:05 AM
Thank you all for your experiences! I have been wanting to get some blue ones to match my tail, or maybe some of those special effects contacts. I am nearsighted, but I can get along without them on, I just want them for the effect. But one thing I do not want is to emerge from the water with one brown eye and one blue! lol! So I'll practice those tricks of keeping my eyes partly closed.

Thanks so much, you all are so great! Such a wonderful place of support here! :yay:

Ilonka
05-23-2012, 12:35 PM
Iv worn my lenses underwater a few times, never in a pool tho! Chlorine can seriously damage your lenses. Iv never lost one but is die if I did cuz mine are color prescription and they are supposed to last me 2 months and they are pretty costly.

midwesternmermaid
05-23-2012, 03:55 PM
For now, I'm probably going to be weaney underwater-beaney and wear goggles. I am blind above water w/o my contacts, and if i should open my eyes underwater, i'd proably give them a good soak in solution afterwards.

Mermaid Sirena
05-23-2012, 05:53 PM
An excellent place to get contacts is www.thedollyeye.com (http://www.thedollyeye.com) for $40 you get a beautiful pair of circle lenses (which are slightly larger then normal contacts so that should help them stay in your eye better). The $40 includes shipping & you can choose custom prescriptions for Left & Right eye at no extra cost. They have a large variety of lens types & I can vouch are quite comfy for extended (*cough* sleeping) even for someone who has never worn contacts before.

For reviews & real life photos of nearly every contact I would suggest visiting this thread on cosplay.com (http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=125245) (note they are making template changes to the site so if it doesn't load that's why).

MermaidRaegan
05-23-2012, 06:50 PM
Great link! I love theatrical lenses; you can get such cool effects with them!

~Molly~
05-23-2012, 09:27 PM
i'm blind as well. -5/-5.5. cant see crap without them. no-seriously cant see crap (i've stepped in it thx to my dogs) lol.

w/o contacts i swim in water np (opening my eyes, etc), but sooo afraid of losing contacts! ..i mean, thats $ popping out of my eye!!
i'm already forced to make my own tail since i dont have funds to have someone else to it.
now i lose contacts??? oh jeeze...

Kanti
05-24-2012, 12:30 PM
An excellent place to get contacts is www.thedollyeye.com (http://www.thedollyeye.com) for $40 you get a beautiful pair of circle lenses (which are slightly larger then normal contacts so that should help them stay in your eye better). The $40 includes shipping & you can choose custom prescriptions for Left & Right eye at no extra cost. They have a large variety of lens types & I can vouch are quite comfy for extended (*cough* sleeping) even for someone who has never worn contacts before.

For reviews & real life photos of nearly every contact I would suggest visiting this thread on cosplay.com (http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=125245) (note they are making template changes to the site so if it doesn't load that's why).

I dunno the reasoning behind it, but circle lenses are supposedly worse for your eyes than normal SFX lenses.
I have no idea where that surfaced but I kept hearing about it from a lot of people when I was shopping for theatrical lenses.

Mermaasai
05-25-2012, 06:18 AM
I was just wondering if full scleral contacts would be any better in the water as it would allow your eye to close mostly over the edge of the contact when you are resting naturally.
It would stop the water from sliding under the contact to rip it away from your eye... I think.. I dont know... just a thought..

Mermaid Sirena
05-25-2012, 07:04 AM
@Kanti, that maybe be true but in personal experience they are comfy and nice. And no matter how bad they may be they can't be any worse then people who wear normal contacts for days at a time.

Also side note I just found out that they are currently not charging shipping so it's only $25 a pair.

SomethingFishy
05-29-2012, 10:22 AM
Hey, I work at an eye doctor and we specifically advise against wearing them in water, especially opening your eyes with them! Contact lenses will act as a sponge when around water and will immediately absorb any bacteria or germs that are in the water. This can lead to infections. Wearing them for dry sessions would be really cool but it's not worth eye damage for wearing them in the water!

Mermaid Sirena
05-29-2012, 10:32 AM
That is good to know, thank you somethingfishy :)

Mermaid Star
05-30-2012, 10:10 PM
I have swam in my contacts before and forgot that I had them in and opened my eyes under water. My contacts stayed in but you have to be careful with your lenses as they can keep bacteria in your eye and cause an eye infection. So swim and open your eyes in the water at your own risk

Mermaid Star
05-30-2012, 10:11 PM
Oh sorry! Didn't realize that somethingfishy already posted something about the bacteria

Mermaid Sirena
05-30-2012, 10:29 PM
Something important like that, it never hurts to say it twice. Just to get it trough ^_^

AniaR
05-30-2012, 10:36 PM
I know mermaid mishpa has worn coloured contacts in water, and she had one come out and everyone thought she looked cool lol

leeloo
05-31-2012, 01:34 AM
Has anyone heard of Corneal Refractive Therapy? You get fitted for these lenses that you wear at night while you sleep, and they compress your eyes to reshape them so that in the morning you take them out and can see clearly all day. I want to do it so bad but its pricy. One website said the cost averages $800-$1500 for both eyes, but I've seen some places charge even more. Lenses are supposed to be replaced yearly and cost between $100-$200. I would love to be able to swim without lenses though and be able to see!

Mermaid Annariea
05-31-2012, 02:04 AM
even with perfect vision, humans cant see perfectly underwater. we just arent meant to.

Mermaid Sirena
05-31-2012, 08:22 AM
It's true, no matter how good your vision you wont be able to see perfectly underwater. I have better then perfect vision & I still have to navigate a world of blurry shapes and near blindness.

Spindrift
05-31-2012, 09:40 AM
Has anyone heard of Corneal Refractive Therapy? You get fitted for these lenses that you wear at night while you sleep, and they compress your eyes to reshape them so that in the morning you take them out and can see clearly all day. I want to do it so bad but its pricy. One website said the cost averages $800-$1500 for both eyes, but I've seen some places charge even more. Lenses are supposed to be replaced yearly and cost between $100-$200. I would love to be able to swim without lenses though and be able to see!

I have heard of them. It's called orthokeratology.

~Molly~
05-31-2012, 01:50 PM
Has anyone heard of Corneal Refractive Therapy? You get fitted for these lenses that you wear at night while you sleep, and they compress your eyes to reshape them so that in the morning you take them out and can see clearly all day. I want to do it so bad but its pricy. One website said the cost averages $800-$1500 for both eyes, but I've seen some places charge even more. Lenses are supposed to be replaced yearly and cost between $100-$200. I would love to be able to swim without lenses though and be able to see!

might as well get lasix if you are going to spend a chunk of cash.

Spindrift
05-31-2012, 02:43 PM
might as well get lasix if you are going to spend a chunk of cash.

Lasik still has it's risks. My understanding is that they "shave off" a layer of your eye to correct your vision. Probably not a widescale problem, but that means you won't ever be able to go to Everest or places of really high altitude because the pressure will make your eyeballs pop/be really painful. My mom and brother went to Everest and it was too painful for my mom to really continue (although my brother is probably one of the youngest to ever make it). I've been to Nepal though and CRT was fine there.

~Molly~
05-31-2012, 05:21 PM
Lasik still has it's risks. My understanding is that they "shave off" a layer of your eye to correct your vision. Probably not a widescale problem, but that means you won't ever be able to go to Everest or places of really high altitude because the pressure will make your eyeballs pop/be really painful. My mom and brother went to Everest and it was too painful for my mom to really continue (although my brother is probably one of the youngest to ever make it). I've been to Nepal though and CRT was fine there.

thats awesome--to go to everest...nepal -jealous.
as far as me going to anyplace in high altitude, i dont have to worry...unless theres a beach nearby--- ;)

Spindrift
05-31-2012, 05:38 PM
I don't know if the same thing happens for things like helicopters though (probably not?) or any other location. No idea.

Mermaid Photine
05-31-2012, 05:57 PM
Do we have any inventor geniuses here who'd like to invent a contact that is wearable in water, won't fall out, and will give me the ability to see clearly while I swim, all at an affordable price? There's a market for it right here.

LittleTreasure
06-09-2012, 09:26 PM
I'd go for that too, MermaidPandorah. I have good vision, but of course underwater everything is blurry without goggles. It'd be fun to have a pair I could see underwater in - maybe if they weren't absorbent they wouldn't be dangerous? Would that hurt our eyes?

I had no idea Lasik shaves off a layer of eyeball. The idea of an eye popping just makes me want to scream and puke at the same time. O_O;;;

Mermaid Caidence
06-10-2012, 01:55 PM
Well to all of the nearsighted people out there, you can actually see better underwater than a person with 20/20 vision could. I'm nearsighted, and I used to think that because I coudn't see far away, My vision would be even worse underwater. But that's not the case. I went and looked up how being nearsighted affected your vison underwater, and it turns out is actually helps you see more clearly underwater.

Kitty-Madison Snel
06-22-2012, 01:36 AM
I use underwater contact lenses during a performance and training. It works perfect if I'm swimming in chlorine water, or seawater. Normally if you are swimming with your eyes open underwater, tearfuid will wash away. Tears are useful: it is like a 'oxygen provider' for your eye. Without tearfluid an eye will have a lack of oxygen.

A contact lens is like a small storage of tearfluid. It is enough during an two hour swimming underwater. We (Vicky and I) use underwater contactlenses for over 7 years without any problems.

Before trying underwater contactlenses, I contacted an eye specialist working by Defense (Mariniers, the 'Dutch Seals'). He said that two hours is the absolute maximum to use lenses underwater. Never re-use them: after swimming trow them away.

Yes, there is a risk of bacteria in your eyes - even if you are swimming with open eyes underwater without lenses. Remeber, human eyes are not designed for underwater use.

There are also underwater contactlenses to see clearly above the water ánd underwater. Made in Italy some freedivers use them. 22 mm in diameter! Oh yeah, by the way: costs 500 Euro's...

spottedcatfish
06-22-2012, 02:25 AM
Has anyone heard of Corneal Refractive Therapy? You get fitted for these lenses that you wear at night while you sleep, and they compress your eyes to reshape them so that in the morning you take them out and can see clearly all day. I want to do it so bad but its pricy. One website said the cost averages $800-$1500 for both eyes, but I've seen some places charge even more. Lenses are supposed to be replaced yearly and cost between $100-$200. I would love to be able to swim without lenses though and be able to see!

I agree with spindrift's comment: if I'm going to spend that much on lenses, I might as well do lasik. Yeah I have really crappy eyesight. I was wondering what to do about it, and I know it may ruin the effect of mermaiding, but I will have to wear goggles. I'll still need to see underwater, even if I have crappy vision I still have to see somewhat clearly and not have to deal with burning eyes. Chlorine water and salt water both burn my eyes, and I'm not very good about opening my eyes underwater anyways, without goggles. Contact lenses also seem a bit risky with the bacteria problem underwater.

Merman Dan
06-22-2012, 07:19 AM
Probably showing my age, here, but Patrick Duffy used to wear scleral lenses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scleral_lens) for use underwater, when he was in Man From Atlantis (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075533/) . The concerns about bacteria and whatnot in the water still apply, though.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uXrl1htKaQ

Raayvhen
07-08-2012, 11:43 AM
I read a couple places that using disposable lenses is a little safer then using regular contacts. Can anyone on here verify? I think I read that its safer because you get rid of it right when you're done using it.

Mermaid Crystal
08-19-2012, 07:10 PM
Some companies make underwater contacts

leeloo
10-06-2012, 04:28 PM
Just thought I'd let you know I got the ortho-k lenses. I started seeing a difference right away! I've had them for a couple weeks now, and I can see so much better without contacts. My eyesight is normally pretty bad though, so they said it could take me a little longer to get the full affects. My right eye is worse than my left, and it is still a litte fuzzy, but overall my vision is so much better. I haven't had the chance to test out my new vision swimming yet since I've been dealing with some medical issues, but I've been feeling better so I probably can soon. It cost me $999 but I got a medical payment plan that has 0% interest if paid off within a year. It cost me less than half of what lasik would cost, which I wouldn't qualify for since my vision seems to get worse every year. That is another good thing about these lenses, they can keep your eyesight from getting worse since you are basically reshaping your eyes every night when you wear them. Not having the scary risks of lasik is great too. I definitely recommend it if you can, much cheaper than lasik and with a payment plan it really isn't that expensive.