Never Shower With Your Contacts In, Eye Doctor Warns

It turns out there's something way worse you can do to your eyes than sleeping in contacts. Worse than skipping cleaning solution. Worse than wearing them too long.

Showering with them in.

Dr. Ashley Brissette, an ophthalmologist in New York City and official eye doctor for the New York Rangers, didn't hesitate when asked what the worst thing you can do to your eyes is. "Shower with your contacts in."

Most contact wearers have probably done this hundreds of times without thinking twice about it. Convenient, right? You can see what you're doing in the shower, no fumbling around blind while shaving or washing your hair.

Except shower water isn't sterile.

The Amoeba Problem

"Shower water contains microorganisms—most notably an amoeba called Acanthamoeba," Dr. Brissette explains. "When water gets trapped between your contact lens and cornea, those microorganisms can attach to the lens surface and infect the eye."

The cornea's natural defenses weaken under contact lenses. That creates perfect conditions for a rare but serious infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis.

It can cause severe pain, scarring, vision loss, or even require a corneal transplant," Dr. Brissette warns. "It's a terrible infection to get; it can ruin your life for about a year.

This is no exaggeration. The infection is brutal. It causes excruciating pain, permanent scarring, potential blindness, and in severe cases requires corneal transplants. Treatment takes months. Sometimes over a year.

All from showering with contacts in.

How Common Is This

"Getting this infection isn't as rare as you'd think," Dr. Brissette says. "Go on TikTok and you'll see a bunch of scary cases."

She's right. Search Acanthamoeba keratitis on social media and you'll find countless people documenting their nightmares. Months of eye drops. Multiple doctor visits weekly. Unbearable pain. Vision loss. Some are permanently damaged.

Most trace it back to water exposure while wearing contacts. Showering, swimming, hot tubs—anywhere water can get trapped between the lens and eye.

The amoeba lives in water. Tap water, lakes, pools, hot tubs. Not something you can see or taste. Just there, waiting for the perfect breeding ground—like the tiny space between a contact lens and your cornea.

Filters Don't Help

Hoping a shower filter solves this? It doesn't.

Dr. Brissette recommends removing contacts before showering. Yes, even if that means shaving with blurry vision or fumbling around unable to read shampoo bottles.

At minimum, keep water completely away from your eyes and face while wearing contacts. No splashing. No dunking your head under the stream. No opening your eyes if water hits your face.

Same rule applies for swimming in lakes, pools, or hot tubs. Water plus contacts equals infection risk.

What About Swimming

Lakes are particularly risky because they contain all sorts of microorganisms in untreated natural water. Pools and hot tubs aren't safe either despite chlorine. The amoeba survives chlorination.

If you absolutely must swim with contacts, wear goggles that create a watertight seal. Even then, remove and discard the lenses immediately after swimming. Don't try to clean and reuse them—throw them away and use fresh ones.

Never store contacts in water. Only use proper contact lens solution. Water exposure of any kind defeats the purpose of sterile storage.

Other Contact Mistakes

While we're here, Dr. Brissette mentioned other common contact lens mistakes:

Sleeping in contacts. Even if they're "approved" for overnight wear, don't. Dramatically increases infection risk.

Not removing mascara. Sleeping in mascara causes particles to flake off and get trapped under eyelids, leading to irritation or scratches on the eye's surface.

Using waterline eyeliner. Can introduce bacteria directly to the eye. If you must use it, get ophthalmologist-tested products specifically designed for waterline use.

Overwearing lenses. Daily lenses mean daily. Two-week lenses mean two weeks. Don't stretch it.

The Bottom Line

Remove your contacts before showering. Every single time. No exceptions.

Inconvenient? Absolutely. Worth avoiding a year-long nightmare infection that could blind you? Also absolutely.

The amoeba that causes Acanthamoeba keratitis isn't rare. It's in water everywhere. Shower water, lake water, pool water, tap water. Your contacts trap that water against your eye, creating perfect conditions for infection.

Once infected, treatment is brutal. Multiple prescription eye drops daily—sometimes hourly. Appointments several times weekly. Months of pain and light sensitivity. Potential permanent vision damage. Possible corneal transplant.

All preventable by taking 30 seconds to remove contacts before showering.

Dr. Brissette puts it simply: "Look into corrective procedures or shower without your lenses."

LASIK, PRK, or other vision correction options eliminate the need for contacts entirely. If those aren't feasible or desired, just deal with blurry showers. Small price to pay for avoiding an infection that could ruin your vision and make your life miserable for a year.

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