Effects of swimming pool water on the cornea

JAMA. 1983 May 13;249(18):2507-8.

Abstract

Eye examinations performed on 50 subjects immediately before and after swimming in a chlorinated pool showed that 34 subjects (68%) saw rainbows and/or halos around lights after swimming, a symptom indicating the presence of corneal edema. Forty-seven subjects (94%) had corneal epithelial erosions in a punctate or linear pattern demonstrated by fluorescein staining on slit-lamp examination. No subject experienced a measurable decrease in visual acuity.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Chlorine / adverse effects*
  • Chlorine / analysis
  • Cornea / drug effects*
  • Corneal Diseases / chemically induced
  • Edema / chemically induced
  • Epithelium / drug effects
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Hypotonic Solutions
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Swimming Pools*
  • Water Supply* / analysis

Substances

  • Hypotonic Solutions
  • Chlorine