Is it OK to wash your eyes out with tap water?
JAN 08, 2024
Question:
If you shouldn’t wear your contact lenses in the shower as you risk a contact-lens related infection, why is it OK to wash your eyes out with tap water?
Answer:
I do not think it is OK to wash your eyes out with tap water except in an emergency situation where a damaging chemical or substance accidentally entered the eye(s). In this case, there is an urgent need to irrigate your eyes with water before seeking medical care and evaluation.
There is less salt in tap water than in normal human tissue and tears and this can be very irritating to the ocular surface and even cause damage to the surface cells. Also, using tap water or homemade saline to rinse contact lenses has been associated with severe ocular infections with multiple pathogens, including acanthamoeba.
If you need to irrigate your eyes in a non-emergency setting, then a commercially prepared eyewash made for the eyes is much safer than tap water.
This question was originally answered on July 2, 2016.