Contacts in the Shower: Expert Advice for Safe Showering

For anyone who wears glasses, contact lenses can turn daily routines from a tricky task into a breeze. However, one question looms large: can showering while wearing contact lenses endanger your eye health? This concern gained traction when Instagram influencer Rachel Prochnow recounted her harrowing experience. On July 18, she shared with her followers the shocking story of how she went blind in one eye last year due to an infection triggered by showering in her contacts. The ordeal led her to undergo a cornea transplant, a journey no one wants to face.

Prochnow fell victim to Acanthamoeba keratitis, a rare yet severe eye infection stemming from an amoeba frequently found in water and soil. Her infection developed while showering in Austin, Texas. Her provocative post sparked a wave of awareness, amassing over 950,000 likes on Instagram. She highlighted, “Acanthamoeba is present in every water source, except boiled water! So you’re at risk if you’re wearing contacts and water gets in your eyes.” As she recounted the experience, the severity of her pain was something she described as unimaginable.

Even though Prochnow believed she was practicing good hygiene—washing her hands before handling her lenses, avoiding wearing them overnight, and regularly substituting her contact lens case—she had never been warned against showering, swimming, or soaking in a hot tub with them in. Eye health specialist Dr. Annie Nguyen shared insights with Health, explaining that while she followed all the recommendations, exposure to tap water containing Acanthamoeba could have been the culprit for contamination. “This organism can cling to the contact lens surface, escalating the risk of infection, particularly if there’s pre-existing damage to the cornea,” she specified.

Experts weigh in on the risks associated with wearing contacts in the shower and give their take on how to avoid potential eye infections. Water, whether from a showerhead, a tap, or a swimming pool, can harbor harmful microorganisms, including Acanthamoeba. Anyone can contract an eye infection if contaminated water makes its way into their eyes, but contact lens users tread a particularly treacher