Prescription Swimming Goggles?

Kintarō Hattori

Hey Folks,

Worn glasses all my life and never really took to trying to learn to swim as I didn't enjoy being in a pool and not being able to see very much. I'm fortunate enough now to work beside a gym that has it's own pool and provides swimming classes.

Is it possible to get prescription goggles from the likes of Specsavers.... who I'm currently with. Failing that, is there anyone who can provide them and is it something that'd cost an arm and a leg?

blackeyedpeat

Most opticians will be able to provide you with ready made swimming goggles at a cost of €40 to €75 to your prescription.(Mat not be your exact prescription but enough that you won't end up in the wrong changing room) If you have an unusual prescription that requires to be custom made it could be anything from €150 upwards.

mcgiggles

Whats your prescription? I have a pair but I got laser eye surgery before Christmas so won't be using them again

X6.430macman

Contacts and put goggles on tightly over??

now online

The edge do prescription goggles, only for short sightness though. Think thy ate around €30 I can't comment on the quality, I'm long sighted so thru are no good to me!

I bought a pair of goggles from this crowd about 4 years ago.
http://www.prescription-swimming-goggles.co.uk/

I'm -9 in both so it was a fairly high perscription, but they worked a charm. I cant remember what I paid, i think it was about 80 euros altogether.

applesrock

Hi op. I also got prescription swimming googles with prescription swimming goggles.ie. they were €23 +€7 delivery. I am -7 in each eye and they are excellent. I got the blue Sutton opt9000.
I got them 6 months ago. Make a huge difference e.g. Not bumping into people in lanes / swimming in a straight line!

Kintarō Hattori

mcgiggles wrote: »

Whats your prescription? I have a pair but I got laser eye surgery before Christmas so won't be using them again

Ah congrats on that. It's something I briefly thought about in the past but I wouldn't be able to muster the courage to do it.
I actually don't know what my prescription is- so that's something I should look to resolve this weekend.

Thanks for all the replies folks. I wasn't sure if it was a silly question. I can't swim so want to put that right this year but wouldn't feel comfortable if I couldn't see properly. So knowing you can get them and that they don't cost an arm and a leg is great.

mcgiggles

It'd been something I was thinking about for years, 31 now have glasses since I was 8. Still don't know myself! 
Well if you find out your prescription, pop it up here or pop me an IM and if its not too far off what mine are I can post them on to you  I was -4.5 and -5.5 and I think the goggles are about -4 or so, weaker than I needed but a million times better than not having them! They are decent enough, white ones I think they are, can't remember what brand or anything. I actually got them off a friend who had gotten laser and didn't need them so happy to pay it forward :)

Arbie

X6.430macman wrote: »

Contacts and put goggles on tightly over??

Never, ever, ever wear contact lenses when swimming or showering, even with goggles.

It is not a theoretical or exaggerated risk - I have seen several patients go blind from doing this.

stimpson

I use daily disposables with Aquasphere goggles and bin them immediately after swimming. I've said it to my optician but he didn't mention any risk. Aquasphere do prescription lenses and are available to buy online.

Squiggle

Arbie wrote: »

Never, ever, ever wear contact lenses when swimming or showering, even with goggles.

It is not a theoretical or exaggerated risk - I have seen several patients go blind from doing this.

Can you be more specific - what exactly caused them to go blind?

X6.430macman

Arbie wrote:

Never, ever, ever wear contact lenses when swimming or showering, even with goggles.

Thanks for reply it's something I have considered but never done so this assures me

Arbie

stimpson wrote: »

I use daily disposables with Aquasphere goggles and bin them immediately after swimming. I've said it to my optician but he didn't mention any risk. Aquasphere do prescription lenses and are available to buy online.

Using disposables is less risky than monthlies, but there is still an unnecessary risk.

Squiggle wrote: »

Can you be more specific - what exactly caused them to go blind?

Millions of people wear contact lenses and get great benefit from them but these are medical devices made of artificial material so care must be taken. They sit on top of the cornea (the clear window at the front of the eye) which is vulnerable to injury and infection. The contact lens surface can hold aggressive microbes like Pseudomonas and Acanthamoeba, which can cause serious corneal infection (keratitis) which can lead to blindness and even loss of the eyeball.

Last year I had a patient who went from perfect vision one morning to being blind the next evening because of an infection so severe that it melted part of the cornea. This was due to a disposable contact lens being worn when showering. Every week patients are admitted to hospital for intensive treatment including drops every 30 minutes, around the clock, to attempt to save the eye from contact lens infection.

Contact lenses are great, I use them myself, but any corneal surgeon will tell you that the biggest dangers with lenses are overuse and wearing them in the shower/pool.

Kintarō Hattori

Thanks for the advice Arbie. Personally I'm the biggest chicken around. I've never worn, nor will I ever wear contact lenses. It's old fashioned glasses for me.

Squiggle

Arbie wrote: »

Using disposables is less risky than monthlies, but there is still an unnecessary risk.



Millions of people wear contact lenses and get great benefit from them but these are medical devices made of artificial material so care must be taken. They sit on top of the cornea (the clear window at the front of the eye) which is vulnerable to injury and infection. The contact lens surface can hold aggressive microbes like Pseudomonas and Acanthamoeba, which can cause serious corneal infection (keratitis) which can lead to blindness and even loss of the eyeball.

Last year I had a patient who went from perfect vision one morning to being blind the next evening because of an infection so severe that it melted part of the cornea. This was due to a disposable contact lens being worn when showering. Every week patients are admitted to hospital for intensive treatment including drops every 30 minutes, around the clock, to attempt to save the eye from contact lens infection.

That's extraordinary given that the risk of contact lens wearers contracting Acanthamoeba Keratitis in the developed world is about 0.000033%. My wearing of contacts when swimming and in the shower was based on that statistic ie almost no chance of being infected :eek:

missmatty

I've been using contacts for 21 years and while I never swim in them (can't swim), I would often use them in the shower. In saying that, I don't like water in my eyes so wouldn't really let water and suds into them, and I've never had an eye infection.

X6.430macman

Arbie wrote:

Last year I had a patient who went from perfect vision one morning to being blind the next evening because of an infection so severe that it melted part of the cornea. This was due to a disposable contact lens being worn when showering. Every week patients are admitted to hospital for intensive treatment including drops every 30 minutes, around the clock, to attempt to save the eye from contact lens infection.

That is scary.

How often is too often though with lenses?

Arbie

Squiggle wrote: »

That's extraordinary given that the risk of contact lens wearers contracting Acanthamoeba Keratitis in the developed world is about 0.000033%. My wearing of contacts when swimming and in the shower was based on that statistic ie almost no chance of being infected :eek:

You're quoting US CDC stats of 1-33 cases per million contact lens wearers but that's not accurate in this case. Ireland and UK incidence is significantly higher, probably because we have more Acanthamoeba in our tapwater.

Also that figure is the number of cases per million lens wearers, but we are talking about the number of cases per million lens wearers who wear them in shower/pool. If you make that adjustment then the risk shoots up. Each of the 7 specialist eye units in Ireland see several Acanthamoeba keratitis cases every year, almost all of them are lens wearers, and many will have worn/washed the lenses in water.

Don't forget that there are other bugs like Pseudomonas that are more common than Acanthamoeba and can be just as dangerous.

Arbie

X6.430macman wrote: »

That is scary.

How often is too often though with lenses?

What do you mean by how often?

Lenses are great when used correctly.

X6.430macman

Arbie wrote:

What do you mean by how often?

Like on dailies I mean how often could one wear a new set everyday before they start to have an effect as being in so long and over the course of a couple of days consecutively wearing them

testicles

This post has been deleted.

towger

http://www.aquagoggles.com/

I,ve used these for years for my son, usually buy a few pairs in one go.
Good value, 100% reliable, ship to Ireland.

superfurry1

I would not worry too much about using contact lenses in the shower, ive done it for years again daily's and go for regular check ups as i have an eye condition, maybe an issue if you live somewhere with poor quality water. For swimming tight goggles and contacts is the only way to go. prescription googles are a waste of time especially for holidays as you really dont want to be standing around a pool with goggles on all the time and if you cant see very much taking them off it really defeats the purpose, best of luck.

Arbie

X6.430macman wrote: »

Like on dailies I mean how often could one wear a new set everyday before they start to have an effect as being in so long and over the course of a couple of days consecutively wearing them

It depends on the type of lens, but usually maximum 8-10 hours per day.

Arbie

superfurry1 wrote: »

I would not worry too much about using contact lenses in the shower, ive done it for years again daily's and go for regular check ups as i have an eye condition, maybe an issue if you live somewhere with poor quality water. For swimming tight goggles and contacts is the only way to go. prescription googles are a waste of time especially for holidays as you really dont want to be standing around a pool with goggles on all the time and if you cant see very much taking them off it really defeats the purpose, best of luck.

That is totally irresponsible advice. Why would anyone risk showering in lenses, to save the 10 seconds it takes to remove them? Just because you haven't had an issue does not make it safe. You only have to be unlucky once for it to cause a devastating problem, and if you shower 365 days a year in contacts then the odds stack up against you fairly quickly. The fact they're disposable is irrelevant if you're showering with them in at 8am and not removing them for 8+ hours, that's plenty of time for an ulcer to develop.

The quality of the water has nothing to do with it, even the cleanest domestic water supplies contain bacteria that are harmless for washing or consumption but dangerous in the eye. Contact lenses are like sponges for these bugs.

Anyone who suggests wearing lenses in the shower/pool should visit their local eye clinic and ask the corneal consultants what they think. The answer would be short and sharp. You might be comfortable advising people that it's not a big deal, but if they get a corneal ulcer you won't be the one having to break the news that they may lose their vision, not to mention the distress the patients feel when they realise that they could have prevented the problem if they had used their lenses correctly.

Lenses are great and are safe when used properly, but they are medical devices and should be treated with care.

S.M.B.

My eye hospital strongly warns against contact lens usage while swimming for all the reasons outlined above but also provides some practical advice for when contact lens wear cannot be avoided.

Squiggle

Arbie wrote: »

Also that figure is the number of cases per million lens wearers, but we are talking about the number of cases per million lens wearers who wear them in shower/pool. If you make that adjustment then the risk shoots up. Each of the 7 specialist eye units in Ireland see several Acanthamoeba keratitis cases every year, almost all of them are lens wearers, and many will have worn/washed the lenses in water.

Accept what you say but I wonder what percentage of the cohort that do wear lenses in the water/shower do not practise good contact lens hygeine?

Don't forget that there are other bugs like Pseudomonas that are more common than Acanthamoeba and can be just as dangerous.

Does regular cleaning solution kill these bugs?

ekevosu

mcgiggles wrote: »

It'd been something I was thinking about for years, 31 now have glasses since I was 8. Still don't know myself! 
Well if you find out your prescription, pop it up here or pop me an IM and if its not too far off what mine are I can post them on to you  I was -4.5 and -5.5 and I think the goggles are about -4 or so, weaker than I needed but a million times better than not having them! They are decent enough, white ones I think they are, can't remember what brand or anything. I actually got them off a friend who had gotten laser and didn't need them so happy to pay it forward :)

Any chance I can get them off you if OP doesn't need? I'm looking for them as well and -4.5 so would be close enough for me.

Arbie

Squiggle wrote: »

Accept what you say but I wonder what percentage of the cohort that do wear lenses in the water/shower do not practise good contact lens hygeine?

I'm not sure what you mean. The act of wearing lenses in shower/pool is in itself considered poor contact lens hygiene. Ultimately the question is whether wearing lenses in shower/pool significantly increases the risk of infection and the answer is unequivocally yes.

Out of interest for Irish data I just looked at a research paper from the Eye and Ear. They admit to hospital about 18 patients a year for contact lens infection, with an average stay in hospital of 6 nights.

About a quarter of these patients use daily disposables, the rest are mainly monthlies. For every 1 patient they admit there are many more who are treated on an outpatient basis, so the annual number is a multiple of those admitted. Most do well in the long term but at least 1 patient with contact lens infection each year needs a corneal transplant, which is a serious operation with lifelong consequences.

Squiggle wrote: »

Does regular cleaning solution kill these bugs?

Most cleaning solutions should decrease the microbial count to safe levels, if used properly. That effect is negated if someone puts in clean lenses, then gets them wet in shower/pool and proceeds to wear them for 8+ hours.

S.M.B.

Some UK figures here from Moorfields.

http://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/content/healthy-habits-healthy-eyes

And here's where they give the alternative advice should you chose to take the risk and swim with lens in. Can often be more helpful than the "Never ever ever do it" approach.

http://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/content/your-contact-lens-questions-answered