Why Water and Contact Lenses Do Not Mix
Is it really unsafe to swim in contact lenses?
Yes, and the concern is specific. Waterborne organisms including Acanthamoeba can adhere to a soft lens and become trapped against the cornea, and the resulting keratitis is rare but serious and difficult to treat. Lake water, pool water, hot tubs, and tap water all carry the risk. Manufacturers and eye care organizations advise against swimming in lenses for this reason.
Ortho-K sidesteps the problem rather than managing it. The lenses are worn while you sleep and removed before the day begins, so there is nothing on your eye at the lake, in the pool, or in a hot tub. The one rule that carries over is that water never touches the lenses or the case at home either.
- Wakeboarding and tubing. Nothing to lose in a fall, and clear vision without goggles.
- Competitive swim. No lens under a pair of racing goggles and no panic if one floods.
- Paddleboarding and kayaking. Glare off the water with ordinary polarized sunglasses instead of a prescription pair.
- Backyard pools. For a child, the difference between swimming corrected and swimming blind.
A City Twenty-Five Miles Long
Old town Peoria near Grand Avenue and 83rd, the Westbrook Village and Fletcher Heights core around Bell Road, and the far northern reaches at Vistancia and Trilogy are three distinct places. Drive time to us varies by more than fifteen minutes across them.
| Area | Minutes | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Old town and Grand Avenue | 34 | Grand Avenue southeast to the I-10 |
| Westbrook Village and Bell Road | 38 | Bell Road east to the Loop 101 south |
| Fletcher Heights | 40 | Loop 101 south from Happy Valley Road |
| Vistancia and Trilogy | 50 | Loop 303 or Lake Pleasant Parkway to the Loop 101 |
If you are north of the Loop 303, read the Surprise page as well. The routes overlap and the timing is similar.
Peoria Unified Families
Peoria Unified covers the entire city plus a piece of northwest Glendale, running Peoria High, Centennial, Liberty, Sunrise Mountain, and Ironwood among others. It is a large district with a wide socioeconomic spread, and the myopia picture in it looks like the metro picture generally: a rising number of children in glasses, and very few families who have been told that progression can be slowed rather than simply corrected.