How to care for your contact lenses in hot weather (2024)

FAQs

How to care for your contact lenses in hot weather? ›

With contact lenses, it's best to limit your wearing time on long summer days. In addition to your contact lenses, wear sunglasses outside. Instill rewetting drops as needed. If you're using drops frequently, contact your eye doctor.

There are countless contact lens wearers who spend long hours in hot conditions, and none of them have ever experienced melted lenses. The only precaution that you need to take is to wear sunglasses to prevent hurting your eyes.

The results showed that, as long as the packaging isn't damaged, contacts and solutions can be used even if they've been exposed to very high or low temperatures. Contacts can freeze if the temperature of the solution they're stored in reaches about 5° Fahrenheit.

It's a myth that contact lenses will melt in your eyes if the summertime heat is bearing down on you or if you're standing over a barbecue grill. Plenty of contact lens wearers spend hours in hot conditions, and none of them experiences melted lenses. But make sure to wear sunglasses to prevent hurting your eyes.

It's normal to work up a sweat in the hot summer months. If sweat droplets get into your eyes and come in contact with your lenses, it can cause stinging, burning and irritation. If you know you'll be sweating, try wearing an absorbent headband to absorb the perspiration.

Bacteria in the water of the sea, lakes, pools and hot tubs can attach onto your contacts lenses, multiply and consequently can damage your eyes. Fluids such as sweat, sun cream and makeup poise the risk of infection and irritation to the eyes.

Contact lenses should be stored in a cool, dry place at room temperature. Avoid storing lenses in hot or cold environments, such as cars, refrigerators, or direct sunlight. Extreme temperatures can damage the lenses and make them uncomfortable to wear.

Humidity is of critical importance in contact lens performance since it directly contributes to a drying of the ocular environment, which can affect the quality of vision, the amount of oxygen reaching the cornea, and the wearer's ability to tolerate the lens.

Yes, but keep in mind that the sauna will dry your eyes out. Therefore it's important to blink often and not to spend too much time in the sauna. If you want a longer session, remove and store your contacts before entering the sauna, using your regular removal/insertion regimen.

We'll just go right ahead and say it: contrary to myth, your contact lenses won't melt into your eyeballs from intense heat exposure. Now that that's out of the way, here are some important guidelines to keep in mind when spending time outdoors in the heat while wearing contact lenses.

Can I wear contact lenses in the sun? ›

Compared to someone wearing glasses, someone wearing contact lenses is more exposed to the sun's UV rays because they have no protective effect on the skin around the eyes. Contacts will only offer protection to your cornea, leaving the rest of your eye exposed to potential damage.

So, can you wear contacts to the beach? By all means, yes! Just wear daily disposables with UV protection, along with sunglasses, and don't swim in them. Instill artificial tears occasionally, and give your eyes a break from time to time.

There's a common myth about contact lenses that they can melt whilst exposed to the heat of cooking. However, this isn't true. The indirect heat of cooking is nowhere near hot enough to melt contact lenses. Therefore, it is safe to cook and wear contact lenses at the same time.

Contact lenses themselves typically don't cause light sensitivity. However, if they aren't the correct fit for your eyes or you wear them too long, you may start to experience issues. That's because these situations can cause eye abrasions or ulcers.