Aqua eyes are go!

April 30, 2007 12:56 PM

Prescription swim goggle recommendations?

My big dork glasses don't do well in water and I want to swim laps again. The last time I tried I had to ask the lifeguard if anyone was in the lane because everything was a blur, and even though I could barely see I knew he looked at me like I was crazy.

According to this site step diopter lenses won't work for me due to some gnarly astigmastim.

Does anyone use prescription custom goggles? Love, hate, anything? Thanks!

posted by look busy to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (10 answers total)

I have no experience with prescription goggles. Why not standard goggles over contact lenses?

I have astigmatism, too, and I bought contacts just so I could go swimming. My vision is far from perfect with contacts (I've been told that astigmatism is difficult to correct without large glasses), but it's enough to know whether I'm going to run into somebody or not.

Give contacts a try (unless your ophthalmologist told you straight up that it won't work for your particular prescription). If they work, they're more versatile. You can't wear your expensive prescription goggles out on a date. With contacts, you get two birds with one bill.
posted by blackbeardrrr at 1:33 PM on April 30, 2007

Response by poster: Sorry, should've mentioned that I wore contacts off and on for five years and hated them.
posted by look busy at 1:41 PM on April 30, 2007

I've never used any, but there was a deal on slickdeals for dirt cheap ones a while back.

[searching...]

Ahh, here's the thread...

$9.99 is a pretty small risk to find out if they're any good or not, I'd think.
posted by twiggy at 2:23 PM on April 30, 2007

I hate to give this advice after your clarification post, but as a guy who swam every day for ten years, everyone I knew who needed vision correction used contacts under "sweedish" goggles (the kind with no gasket that most competitive swimmers use).
posted by awesomebrad at 2:30 PM on April 30, 2007

Just how gnarly is the astigmatism? I have an astigmatism in one eye, but I just wear off-the-shelf goggles with approximately the right diopter, and they're good enough to see who's in my lane and read the giant clock. Go to a swim shop and try some on, they may be adequate.
posted by teg at 2:39 PM on April 30, 2007

Best answer: I have speedo rx goggles I bought through amazon and they are wonderful. I just bought the approximate correction and it really is fine. My eyesight is pretty even, but I have friends who have bought the same ones and cobbled together two pairs to get an uneven prescription. It's not like you're trying to read a book under there. I do find that if I'm wearing them before the start of a triathlon and try to read a handout or something, it's not quite right, but they are fine for avoiding collisions, reading the pace clock, and checking out other swimmers ;)
posted by advicepig at 4:02 PM on April 30, 2007

I've heard good things about these, these, and these.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:09 PM on April 30, 2007

I have Gator-brand swimming goggles I bought for ~30GBP last year. I have astigmatism, but the off-the-shelf ones are good enough for me to not swim into people and avoid bumping into walls, etc, even though they're not exactly my prescription (they only come in 0.5 steps and not 0.25). They are cheap enough off the net that I would buy a pair and give them a go.
posted by penguinliz at 5:12 PM on April 30, 2007

I have to second the swedes+contacts. There just isn't a better, clearer, more comfortable solution if you're going to spend any time in the water.

Handy tip: Bring along an extra pair so your lenses are 'fresh' and chlorine free when you get out of the pool.
posted by mce at 7:30 PM on April 30, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for all the responses. I ended up buying ParMel Optical goggles off Amazon, the custom kind with two different power diopters. Used them yesterday for the first time and they were pretty good. Good enough to see the clock and avoid running into anyone, and surprisingly close to my glasses.
posted by look busy at 4:55 PM on May 22, 2007