About Swimming Goggles

Goggles are a vital part of the swimming uniform. Whether you are swimming competitively or just for fun, goggles help to protect your eyes. Goggles come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Swimming goggles can be a great way to express your sense of style or personality while swimming, and they also aid your swimming performance.

Protection

One of the best reasons to wear goggles when you swim is for eye protection. Your eyes need to be protected from both pool chemicals and impact. When pool chemicals aren't properly calibrated, your eyes can become dry, red and itchy without goggles. If you plan on opening your eyes underwater, goggles can help prevent eye irritation. In addition, diving into the water without goggles can irritate the eyes due to impact. When you jump off a diving board, you should simply close your eyes, but when diving in the water competitively, you need to wear goggles to protect your eyes.

Vision

Swimming goggles are also great for your vision underwater. It is more fun to play underwater games when you can see, and goggles help you see better. If you open your eyes while underwater without goggles on, your vision will eventually become blurry, as pool chemicals can dry your eyes out. It is also possible to buy prescription goggles if you have poor vision. When you are outside in natural water sources, goggles can help you to look at fish and other marine life underwater. In addition, many goggles for outside wear have darkened or reflective lenses similar to sunglasses.

Fit

When deciding which goggles to wear, fit is very important. Ideally, the goggles should fit in your eye socket and apply no pressure to the actual eye. The goggles should be able to stay on your eyes without straps when you aren't moving, and they should fit comfortably. While the feeling of wearing them is probably unfamiliar, it shouldn't be uncomfortable. The nose piece should rest just above your nose. If it is touching your nose, it may rub against your skin and cause irritation. The strap or straps should be snug but not so tight that they cause headaches or pain.

Styles

There are many different styles of goggles. Goggles can be any color. For snorkeling or recreational swimming, many types of goggles go over not only your eyes but your nose as well. This type of goggle is more of a mask and is impractical for competitive swimming. Goggles vary by the material of the gasket. The gasket goes around the lens and is the part of the goggle that rests against your face. The gasket can be hard plastic, silicone or foam. The type you wear depends on what is comfortable for you. Goggle straps can be either single or double. Double straps provide more security and tend to stay on the head better, as one strap is high on the head and the other is anchored lower.

Cost

A big deciding factor in which type of goggles to buy is price. Goggles in 2010 range in price from around $3 to over $30. Goggles are priced based on materials and engineering. Goggles that are for highly competitive swimming and that are engineered to be hydrodynamic will cost more than goggles made for swimming in your backyard pool. However, just because a pair of goggles costs more does not necessarily mean that it is better. If you find a pair that protects your eyes and is comfortable, it is probably the right pair of goggles for you.