If you wear contact lenses, chances are you need a prescription lens to correct your vision at all times. This can make swimming difficult on a competitive level and not very enjoyable on a leisure level. However, you can swim with contact lenses if you purchase a pair of well-fitting, well-sealed goggles. Talk to your eye care professional regarding your eye care concerns and swimming.
Benefits of Swimming with Goggles
Swimming with goggles allows you to open your eyes underwater opposed to swimming blindly. Swimming with goggles can allow competitive swimmers to move more quickly because they do not have to worry about chlorine and other pool chemicals burning their eyes and interfering with their ability to concentrate on swimming. Prolonged exposure to pool chemicals can cause irritation, itching and temporary blindness, and actually can begin to eat away the surface of your eyes. Goggle also provide ultraviolet protection for swimming outdoors.
Contacts and Swimming
Contacts are prescription lenses that fit directly onto the surface of your eye. Due to their close fit to your eye, contact lenses can actually prevent irritation, itchiness, temporary blindness and corneal damage caused by chlorine and other chemicals; however, wearing contact lenses while swimming can lead to an increased risk of infection related to microorganisms found in water. Microorganisms can attached themselves to your contact lenses, causing pain, swelling and irritation of the eye. If you suspect an eye infection, see an ophthalmologist immediately to prevent damage to your eyes.
Proper Goggle Fit
Wearing properly fitting goggles with contact lenses can help protect your eyes from chlorinated water and the sun while allowing you to see clearly. To be effective, goggles must be sealed properly to keep water from entering your goggles as you swim. Goggles should rest on the bones around your eyes, never in the eye socket themselves. If you experience "raccoon eyes" or redness around your eyes after removing your goggles, it is likely that your goggles do not fit properly. When trying goggles on, make sure they rest on your bones and check to see if you notice any visible gaps between your face and the goggles.
Other Considerations
If you are not comfortable swimming with your contact lenses and goggles, there is an alternative. You can purchase goggles that can be fitted with prescription lenses. Visit a sporting good store, optometrist or swimming specialty store in your area for details. Many goggle and swim companies do not offer goggles that can be fitted with a prescription lens, but they are available. Goggles also are available for people with varied prescriptions, a different power in each eye. Before going through the expense of purchasing prescription goggles, make sure the goggles fit properly and get an eye examination to ensure your eyes have not changed. If swimming outside, you also might want to consider placing a tint in your lenses to prevent glare.
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