Swimming + glasses
BigAnnieG
Posts: 89 Member
I LOVE swimming... but am also ridiculously short sighted. This means I swim with my glasses on, as contacts and chlorine are a bad mix, and prescription goggles are foggy/a pain (either entrust glasses to side of a busy pool for the ol' switcharoo or walk around entire changing area with a curved perspective on the world...!). Does anyone else have this, and what's the best way to deal with it? I swim breaststroke but keep my head above water, though my neck as in line as possible without submerging my head, and manage a good forty minutes before an ache sets in. My pace is pretty quick, thanks to having paddles for feet, but I just wonder if there is a better way to manage semi blindness and swimming. Going without lenses is out of the question as I literally can't see my own feet without them!
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I'm also pretty blind and find the prescription goggles to be the best solution for me. Swimmers use a few tricks to keep their goggles clear of fog. Baby shampoo is one. As for the walk around the pool wearing them, I just deal with it. I put my glasses with my towel. It doesn't bother me too much.1
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dishwasher soap can also help fogginess on goggles - I put my glasses in my shoes on the side of the pool, to hopefully stop anyone from stepping on them1
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Hmm. I wear prescription goggles and I don't notice a curved perspective on the world. They are just much bulkier than my normal glasses.
Maybe your prescription is higher than mine though and that's why. Is lens thinning available for goggles, do you think?
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could you do contacts and normal swim goggles?5
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deannalfisher wrote: »could you do contacts and normal swim goggles?
This is what I did before having lasiks. Of course, it probably helped that I was pretty young when I started. I was a competitive swimmer/diver and lifeguard, who literally lived at the pool. I hated running around the pool blind or worrying about my glasses getting broken, so I just taught myself not to open my eyes under water unless I had googles on and just wore my contacts so I could see. Always keep my glasses in my bag just in case, but I never actually lost my contacts to the pool.0 -
deannalfisher wrote: »could you do contacts and normal swim goggles?
Second this idea - that is what I do.1 -
I have worn contacts with regular goggles, it was fine, but my eye doctor told me it's not a great idea. I went on amazon and bought a pair of prescription TYR's for $20 and it was one of the best fitness investments I've made. I swim several different strokes so not wearing goggles is impossible.2
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What reason did your eye doctor give you? Why was it not a great idea?MonkeyMel21 wrote: »I have worn contacts with regular goggles, it was fine, but my eye doctor told me it's not a great idea.
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MonkeyMel21 wrote: »I have worn contacts with regular goggles, it was fine, but my eye doctor told me it's not a great idea. I went on amazon and bought a pair of prescription TYR's for $20 and it was one of the best fitness investments I've made. I swim several different strokes so not wearing goggles is impossible.
@MonkeyMel21 Curious about why your eye doctor didn't like that combination?
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gottlebgal wrote: »
What reason did your eye doctor give you? Why was it not a great idea?MonkeyMel21 wrote: »I have worn contacts with regular goggles, it was fine, but my eye doctor told me it's not a great idea.
I think due to the chance of chlorine irritating them. He's an eye surgeon though so most of his patients have lots of eye issues.
edit to add: I mention he's a surgeon because he's probably more careful/cautiony (Is that a word?) than an optometrist would be.1 -
I swear by this stuff. Got a 3 pack, but each bottle lasts me roughly two years. Just starting my second bottle. 200 sprays = 100 uses. Never foggy.
https://amazon.com/Jaws-Quick-Antifog-Spray-1-Ounce/dp/B0012Q2S4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492432551&sr=8-1&keywords=quick+spit
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MissMaggieMuffin wrote: »deannalfisher wrote: »could you do contacts and normal swim goggles?
Second this idea - that is what I do.
Is my approach as well.0 -
I swear by this stuff. Got a 3 pack, but each bottle lasts me roughly two years. Just starting my second bottle. 200 sprays = 100 uses. Never foggy.
https://amazon.com/Jaws-Quick-Antifog-Spray-1-Ounce/dp/B0012Q2S4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492432551&sr=8-1&keywords=quick+spit
ooooh! I'm getting this right meow! Some guy once told me to put a tiny bit of soap on the inside but I've been too chicken to try it, lol. I'd rather have foggy goggles than soap in my eyes.0 -
I too use an anti fog spray with good results. For me, prescription goggles are the way to go if you want to do some serious swimming.0
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If your goggles are fogging, you just have to work on your technique. Give em a lick, dishsoap or use a commercial product.1
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As a diver fogging in masks is a big problem, defog works wonders. Any Dive shop would have it, or you can get it from Amazon.
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Contacts & regular goggles have never been a problem for me,0
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I am nearsighted and wear contacts with my goggles to do open water swims (in a lake). I wear only goggles at the pool. I haven't had any problems pairing my contacts with goggles so far. I try and focus on the black line on the bottom of the pool and when it turns into a "T" I slow down and prepare for the switch. Can you see and maybe focus on the line at the bottom of the pool and then slip on your glasses when getting out around the pool area? I've never tried prescription goggles but that sounds like it may be a better alternative than a crick in the neck
My neck kills me after practicing sighting for open water swimming. Take care of the neck!
For the fogging try baby shampoo, dish washing soap, using your tongue, and/or look up "spit" in a bottle. Happy Laps!0 -
I just swim with my glasses on . . . maybe I should be more worried about losing them in the pool!
When we were kids my mom had terrible eyesight, so she always bought us really bright swimsuits so she could see us without her glasses on. I started wearing mine while swimming when I was a camp counselor, fewer kids lost in the waves that way.0 -
I would guess that any optometrist would be similarly cautious, tbh. I've been lectured on safe contact use enough and I don't even use them.MonkeyMel21 wrote: »gottlebgal wrote: »
What reason did your eye doctor give you? Why was it not a great idea?MonkeyMel21 wrote: »I have worn contacts with regular goggles, it was fine, but my eye doctor told me it's not a great idea.
I think due to the chance of chlorine irritating them. He's an eye surgeon though so most of his patients have lots of eye issues.
edit to add: I mention he's a surgeon because he's probably more careful/cautiony (Is that a word?) than an optometrist would be.
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MonkeyMel21 wrote: »gottlebgal wrote: »
What reason did your eye doctor give you? Why was it not a great idea?MonkeyMel21 wrote: »I have worn contacts with regular goggles, it was fine, but my eye doctor told me it's not a great idea.
I think due to the chance of chlorine irritating them. He's an eye surgeon though so most of his patients have lots of eye issues.
edit to add: I mention he's a surgeon because he's probably more careful/cautiony (Is that a word?) than an optometrist would be.
?? The chlorinated water does not touch the contacts. That's the purpose of the goggles.0 -
Hmm. What brand of goggles do you use? The seal is clearly more reliable than any I've ever used!MonkeyMel21 wrote: »gottlebgal wrote: »
What reason did your eye doctor give you? Why was it not a great idea?MonkeyMel21 wrote: »I have worn contacts with regular goggles, it was fine, but my eye doctor told me it's not a great idea.
I think due to the chance of chlorine irritating them. He's an eye surgeon though so most of his patients have lots of eye issues.
edit to add: I mention he's a surgeon because he's probably more careful/cautiony (Is that a word?) than an optometrist would be.
?? The chlorinated water does not touch the contacts. That's the purpose of the goggles.
*excited*
If it turns out your head is just better shaped on something, I'll cry...
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MonkeyMel21 wrote: »I have worn contacts with regular goggles, it was fine, but my eye doctor told me it's not a great idea. I went on amazon and bought a pair of prescription TYR's for $20 and it was one of the best fitness investments I've made. I swim several different strokes so not wearing goggles is impossible.
I agree with the $20 Rx googles from amazon. They are fantastic!0 -
For recreational swimming (non-lap) I will often wear contacts, even wakeboarding, etc.0
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HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
I would guess that any optometrist would be similarly cautious, tbh. I've been lectured on safe contact use enough and I don't even use them.MonkeyMel21 wrote: »gottlebgal wrote: »
What reason did your eye doctor give you? Why was it not a great idea?MonkeyMel21 wrote: »I have worn contacts with regular goggles, it was fine, but my eye doctor told me it's not a great idea.
I think due to the chance of chlorine irritating them. He's an eye surgeon though so most of his patients have lots of eye issues.
edit to add: I mention he's a surgeon because he's probably more careful/cautiony (Is that a word?) than an optometrist would be.
I think it's that any potential water contact with the eyes plus lenses can lead to an infection or irritation to the eye. And subsequent chance of blindness.
Goggles might reduce the chance of water in the eyes, but most will leak at some point.
I got prescription goggles from amazon. Cheap and really good. Defogging can be done with baby shampoo, specialist products, or good old-fashioned spit (every diver has a pre-dive spitting moment)0 -
Interesting article from the BBC about getting contacts wet. Which seems counterintuitive, but there it is.
"I was blinded by my contact lens"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-395687810 -
Used to wear contacts under my goggles. Disposable one-day use contacts. I had corrective eye surgery a year ago and it's so nice to not worry about losing glasses or contacts in the pool. Most PRK or LASIK surgery centers will give you a free consultation to see if you're eligible!0
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HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
Hmm. What brand of goggles do you use? The seal is clearly more reliable than any I've ever used!MonkeyMel21 wrote: »gottlebgal wrote: »
What reason did your eye doctor give you? Why was it not a great idea?MonkeyMel21 wrote: »I have worn contacts with regular goggles, it was fine, but my eye doctor told me it's not a great idea.
I think due to the chance of chlorine irritating them. He's an eye surgeon though so most of his patients have lots of eye issues.
edit to add: I mention he's a surgeon because he's probably more careful/cautiony (Is that a word?) than an optometrist would be.
?? The chlorinated water does not touch the contacts. That's the purpose of the goggles.
*excited*
If it turns out your head is just better shaped on something, I'll cry...
TYR. You have to press goggles tightly against your face, all the way around the edge, and make sure the strap is tight enough.0 -
Order SABLE Goggles with your prescription.0
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I wear contacts and goggles with no issue. But if they make the equivalent of "readers" in swim goggles, I'd be all over trying them.1
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