Contact lenses and activities you may wish to wear them for

Bathing, swimming, showering or spas: do not wear contact lenses whilst bathing, showering or swimming, or in spas. The risk of a contact lens related infection is significantly higher following entry of contaminated water, retained under the contact lens against your eye, especially when combined with microabrasions from the contact lens. This includes bathing, shower, pool, spa and seawater which, or whose environment, can contain infective organisms such as Acanthamoeba and Pseudomonas as well as adenovirus and microsporidia. It is not recommended to wear contact lenses under swimming goggles or masks or scuba masks as water entry may still occur:  https://www.cdc.gov/contact-lenses/about/healthy-habits-keeping-water-away-from-contact-lenses.html

Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a rare but sight-threatening corneal infection with rising global incidence, largely driven by increased contact lens use (1).  Up to 93% of cases of AK are reported among contact lens wearers, emphasizing the crucial link between this eye infection and contact lens usage (2,3)

Pseudomona is the most common cause of severe contact lens related eye infections in one study (4,5) P. aeruginosa is one of the most common bacteria causing contact lens-related microbial keratitis (CLMK). Previous studies report that disinfecting solutions were ineffective in preventing biofilm formation (5)

Sleeping: Whilst extended wear contact lenses for sleeping in are available, the risk of a contact lens related infection is higher with these than daily wear contact lenses. (6). This is because the natural properties of a contact lens on your eye, trapping micro-organisms under it and reducing oxygen transmission to the front of your eye, are exacerbated by lack of blinking when you are asleep. This is especially true when wearing  overnight contacts which are designed for daily use only (7). This includes sleeping in contact lenses when flying, with the additional risk that dry air can increase the risk of corneal abrasions with microbial entry to the eye from contact lens wear. For the same reasons, it is not recommended to wear contact lenses whilst undergoing general anaesthesia. A short nap with contact lenses is safe, although with slight dryness of the eye whilst not blinking, you may wish to have some artificial tears or eye lubricant on hand to insert into contact lens wearing eyes on waking up. This is also true if you wear contact lenses whilst on a sunbed

Sports: for most sports which do not involve contact with pools or swimming, contact lens wear is acceptable. However remember, if the lens falls out and is found on a surface, do not replace the lens into your eye until thoroughly cleaned as per standard instructions. If a disposable lens, a new one should be inserted. May is the eye infection that has resulted from the insertion of a contaminated lens. And whatever you do, do not lick the lens and replace it in your eye. Your mouth, teeth and saliva are NOT clean but are host to a wide range of micro organisms that can cause serious eye infections in association with the microtrauma on the front of your eye from wearing a contact lens. 

1. Matthew Azzopardi 1, Yu Jeat Chong 2 3, Ella P Smith Advances in medical and surgical management of Acanthamoeba keratitis: a comprehensive review. Clin Microbiol Rev 2026 Jun 9:e0027725. doi: 10.1128/cmr.00277-25.
2. Gurnani B, Ronquillo Y, Moshirfar M.2023 Nov 23 Acanthamoeba Keratitis. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan–.PMID: 31751053 
3. Kiyat P, Palamar M.Med Hypothesis Acanthamoeba keratitis: from pathophysiology to prevention, a contemporary clinical perspective. Discov Innov Ophthalmol. 2025 Sep 27;14(3):146-162. 
4. Martin Harvey Sund 1 2, Jon Klokk Slettedal 3, Marit Sæthre 4 Incidence, risk factors, and patient characteristics in severe contact lens-related microbial keratitis  Acta Ophthalmol 2025 May;103(3):289-294.
5. Weawsiangsang S, Rattanachak N, Ross S Hydroquinine Enhances the Efficacy of Contact Lens Solutions for Inhibiting Pseudomonas aeruginosa Adhesion and Biofilm Formation  J.Antibiotics (Basel). 2024 Jan 5;13(1):56. 
6. Martin Harvey Sund 1 2, Jon Klokk Slettedal 3, Marit Sæthre 4 Incidence, risk factors, and patient characteristics in severe contact lens-related microbial keratitis  Acta Ophthalmol 2025 May;103(3):289-294.
7. Philipp Perschak 1, Sadiq Said 2, Simone Metzler  Risk behaviors for infectious Keratitis among contact lens wearers in Switzerland: an analysis by contact lens type J Optom Jun 27;19(4):100622  doi: 10.1016/j.optom.2026.100622. Online ahead of print.