About Swimming Goggles

Function

• The primary purpose of swim goggles is to protect your eyes. The clear lenses trap a small bubble of air between your face and the front of the lenses, preventing aquatic irritants from inflaming your eyes. A great side effect of this bubble is that you can see clearly underwater.
  
  

Features

• Swim goggles fit tightly and closely to the face. They generally--though not always--conform to the face because of a foam or rubber pad that creates a waterproof seal between the goggles and the skin. Swim goggles are held in place by one or more rubber straps wrapped around the head.
  
  

Types

• These goggles are fun for kids, but not very good for winning races.
  
  Swim goggles come in many varieties. Swedish goggles are for competition and create next to no drag. They also do not have any cushion between the plastic edge of the lens and the face. UV protected goggles have built-in protection from the sun. Swim goggles also come in many fun and recreational varieties like swim masks and goggles shaped like aquatic animals such as turtles. You can even get swim goggles with prescription lenses, ones that contain tiny MP3 players or goggles that help you see in dark or cloudy water.
  
  

Considerations

• When you are buying a pair of goggles, consider where you will be using them. If you need them for training or competition, then you will need a sleek design that will not slow you down in a race. On the other hand, if you will be using them mainly for outdoor enjoyment, you might prefer UV protection or even a swim mask.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Most people think that the main purpose of swim goggles is to help them see clearly underwater. In reality, goggles protect your eyes from tens of thousands of aquatic bacteria and other organisms that can damage your eyes and your eyesight temporarily or even permanently. Even in cloudy water when you cannot see even with goggles, you should still wear them.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• If you wear contacts, consider getting a pair of prescription swim goggles rather than just wearing the contacts with regular goggles. While swim goggles do protect the eyes from infection, wearing contacts in the pool or other bodies of water can result in major eye infections. This is because contacts do not prevent you from getting any water in your eyes, and your contacts can trap the tiny bit that does get in and create a serious infection.