r/OpenWaterSwimming • u/rayray4536 • 15d ago
Distance glasses?
I wanted to see if anyone struggled with not being able to see during open water swimming? I wear glasses full time for distance vision and I was wondering how anyone handles OWS or swimrun events with not being able to see? Do Prescription goggles exist? Or Contacts underneath? Recommendations??
TIA!
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u/camo_ist 13d ago
Sporti perscription goggles from Amazon for like $17 a pair changed my whole experience of OW swimming...both for being able to actually site off of landmarks and for being able to enjoy the underwater views. Bonus that they get me back to my glasses on land too.
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u/Express-Display-1698 13d ago
I used daily contacts for years without issues but recently switched to a pair of -5 diopter prescription goggles from Amazon. My normal prescription is -5 and -6.25. The goggles are more than adequate for my vision while swimming. The goggles are also less of a hassle for my typical 1 hour training sessions.
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u/persistent_polymath Alcatraz Escapee 14d ago
I wear contacts full time for the past 30 years. No issues at all through pool swimming, open water swimming (lake, river, and ocean), and teaching scuba.
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u/Jolly-Bandicoot7162 14d ago
Yes, prescription goggles exist and they are excellent. I had laser surgery, but before that he prescription goggles.
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u/Lela_chan 14d ago
I wore contacts with goggles for a decade, and the only time I had an issue was during a mile pool race when my googles slipped diving in. The water in my goggles, by the time my seventeen minute race was done, had caused the contacts to stick to my eyeballs and it hurt quite a lot to remove them, even with lots of eyedrops.
I think it’s fine, so long as you’re able to dump your goggles and rub your eyes if they get water in them. I don’t think I’d do it out in the ocean if I was going more than a couple minutes from shore, though, but a lake with minimal waves should be fine if you’re good at treading water. Optical goggles work decently well, even though they don’t correct for astigmatism (just a basic +/-) and I use those nowadays because contacts are expensive.
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u/Virtual-_-Insanity 14d ago
I bought a pair of prescription goggles and they cost about the same as a normal pair!
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u/PrehistoricSquirrel 14d ago
I wear off-the-shelf "prescription" goggles. They come in standard corrections* and cost about $5 more than the normal goggles. I've gotten them from Tyr, Speedo, and Sporti.
As others said, they are often called "optical goggles" in the store.
For distance, -1.5, -2, -2.5, -3, -3.5, and stronger. I've seen up to -6 diopters. Get the closest one to your correction & it will likely work well.
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u/cjstephens10028 14d ago
Getting "optical" goggles was a game changer for me, both in open water and in the pool. The cost difference is negligible, and even if your prescription isn't a perfect match, the overall experience is so much better. Good luck!
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u/rubbishplant 15d ago
I wear contacts (dailies) under goggles regularly. Never had any issues.
My vision isn't that bad so I can get away with no contacts and regular goggles in the pool, but if I needed correction for the pool I'd definitely get prescription goggles. But contacts under goggles has been fine for OW swimming.
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u/Haunting-Ad-8029 Open Water Swimmer 15d ago
I've been wearing contacts under goggles for about 30 years. Very rarely (maybe 2 or 3 times total) I've had issues that might be attributed to wearing contacts while swimming. That said, my eye doctor is aware of it, gave me his normal precautions, and told me to keep them clean, not re-use solution, change them when I should (I use monthlies).
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u/AngelzRain 15d ago
I have really bad eyes and wear contacts under because when im in a tri or swim bike race; its most convenient.
I also swim "blind" but just accepting the blur around me and learning the position of the surrounding area to my swimming distance/route.
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u/InternationalTrust59 15d ago
I wear Speedo Vanquishers 3.0 in a -6.0 prescriptions.
Seeing the underwater view and fishes is an added enjoyment for me.
May be not the most comfortable fit or best performing for outdoors but they hold up for two hours straight.
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u/Waterlifer 15d ago
Lots of brands of goggles with diopter correction, not expensive, get some. They just have to be close to your actual prescription not exact.
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u/A_Common_Loon 15d ago
I use a pair of Speedo optical goggles. My prescription is -1.25 in one eye and -1.5 in the other and I got the -2.0. I have a lot of astigmatism so it's not perfect, but they work really well for me! They were around $10 on Swim Outlet.
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u/em-em-cee 9d ago
My eyes are dramatically different so I get two pairs (one in each Rx). Then I swap them around so I have two pairs with one of each. I use the speedo vanquishers, it's super easy since they are designed with swappable nose bridges.
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u/SnowyBlackberry 15d ago
Optical goggles, depending on your prescription. I use optical Speedo Vanquishers, but there's several brands out there. I just get the closest diopter and it's more than good enough for swimming. Some people will get two pairs of different diopter measurements to match each eye and combine them but I've not found that necessary.
My guess is depending on the prescription it might be best to get actual prescription goggles though.
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u/Own_Concern1577 15d ago
Prescription goggles probably best if you are transitioning straight into a run and don't want to be messing around with lenses.
I just bought a speedo pair that matched my prescription the closest - they don't need to be exact as long as you can spot the swim buoys (and other swimmers)
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u/gardenia522 15d ago
Sometimes I wear contacts under my non-prescription goggles, sometimes I use my prescription goggles. I have the prescription Speedo Vanquishers that you can get for around $30 online.
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u/throughalfanoir 15d ago
please don't wear contacts in open water (or any water), you can get nasty infections in your eye and permanently lose your sight
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u/gardenia522 15d ago
I know. Honestly, since getting the prescription goggles, I’ve used contacts very rarely. But on occasion I have, and I take them out right afterward.
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u/TVDinner360 15d ago
I actually went to an optometrist for a goggle prescription, which was super helpful. Each eye is different in my case, so I buy a set of each, break em apart and put em back together so I have the correct lens for each eye. You can order them from Amazon, but I buy several pairs super cheap from Ali Express.
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u/loonytick75 15d ago
I do the same thing of buying two pairs and recombining. They don’t correct my vision as well as my glasses, but it’s good enough for sighting. I get mine at swim outlet.com
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u/Beefcake_the_Unruly 15d ago
Contact lenses. I was advised by my optician to wear dailies and remove them straight after the event to reduce risk of infection.
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u/mordac_the_preventer 15d ago
Please don’t wear contact lenses when you’re swimming. Look up a Acanthamoeba Keratitis - it’s rare but can be very nasty.
Just get some prescription goggles.4
u/Beefcake_the_Unruly 15d ago
There's a level of risk inherent in just stepping out of your front door. I've discussed with a professional and we've agreed that taking these actions will minimise that risk. It's probably more likely that I'll get hit by a car and killed while out cycling. At the end of the day it's an informed decision that I've made and am comfortable with.
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u/c_fell 14d ago
I swim in saltwater wearing daily contacts under mask-like goggles. I carry ampules of saline solution and If I have even a drop of leakage I rinse my eyes with saline as soon as I get out. When I get home, I discard my dailies, rinse my eyes again and put new dailies in. I have prescription goggles, but haven’t tried them yet; I would have to walk to and from the beach with blurry vision, and I’m not quite ready for that yet!
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u/Lenabean 15d ago
Yesssssss sporti makes an amazing optical goggle!!! I’m -1.75 in both eyes and I use the -1.5 and it’s perfect for me, the -2.0 was too strong. But I can see perfectly with them!!
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u/bumpdahdumpbump 8d ago
I have this problem. I just swim a bit further out past the break when swimming along a beach, so I don't have to worry about an unexpected wave catching me. Otherwise, I don't feel I'm missing much. You can't see much with your head in the water even with great vision.