This study examined the effects of the use of contact lenses on static and kinetic visual acuity, ocular pain, and blurred vision during a water polo match. Eleven male water polo players participated in this study, and were assigned to one of two groups: contact lens users (CL, n=5) and non-users (NCL, n=5). Both groups participated in a typical water polo match with four 7-min periods and 2-min resting intervals between the four periods. Static and kinetic visual acuity, subjective ocular pain, and blurred vision were measured before the match (pre-test), during the match (after each of four 7-min periods), and during the recovery phase at 5, 15, and 30 min after the completion of the match.
Results showed that kinetic visual acuity was significantly lower for the NCL group than for CL in the 4th period of the match. In addition, for the NCL group, kinetic visual acuity was significantly lower in the 3rd and the 4th periods than at the pre-test time. On the other hand, static visual acuity did not significantly differ between the two groups; but, for NCL, static visual acuity was significantly lower in the 4th period than at the pre-test time. According to self-evaluation scores, ocular pain significantly increased in NCL compared to CL in the 3rd and 4th periods. Ocular pain in NCL was significantly higher between the 2nd period and recovery phase at 5 min than at the pre-test time. Blurred vision was significantly higher in NCL than CL between the 2nd period and recovery phase at 5 min. Blurred vision in NCL was significantly higher at the same duration than at the pre-test time.
These findings indicate that the use of contact lenses may prevent ocular pain and blurred vision, maintaining both the static and kinetic visual acuity at a normal level during a water polo match. Further, the results of this study suggest that the use of contact lenses is effective for water polo players.
