Wearing Glasses/Contacts

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

phm41 — Wed, 24 Dec 2003 06:12:03 GMT

I had Lasik surgery 2 years ago and it is phenomenal to be able to see the walls and my competition. The best part is being able to see my times on the wall during meets. Before the surgery, I would practice with my contacts and use goggles. In meets, I just went with naked, blind eyeballs since I was afraid to lose my goggles on the start. Then for backstroke, I would put my contacts back in and use goggles. What a hassle. By the way, I had to stay out of the water one week after surgery (did both eyes at the same time), and was cautioned not to let anyone kick me while swimming. That earned me my own lane at practice. :)

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Mon, 22 Dec 2003 12:58:42 GMT

I always swim with my contacts. I had hard lenses for many years and never had any problem. I just switched to night and day soft lenses. I am supposed to dispose of them once a month. I am still on the first pair but don't notice a difference as far as swimming goes. If I didn't wear my contacts under my goggles, I would not be able to see the pace clock. Heck, I would probably run into the wall at the end of each length...:)

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Sun, 21 Dec 2003 16:22:43 GMT

Wow, I have never given any thought to wearing my contacts while surfing or swiming. However, I have disposables and only a slight correction. I even surfed in red tide conditions with contacts. Although, I did dispose of them when I was finished surfing. I figured if I could barely breath after 30 minutes it would be a good idea to ditch them. I understand that they can absorb water, germs, etc., but I simply close my eyes if I don't have goggles on when I go under water. I do the same if my goggles are leaking; I will close my eyes, stop and adjust my goggles before continuing my swim. In ten years, I have yet to have any eye infections or other ill effects. But then again, I do dispose of my contacts every 2 to 3 months. Hook'em Blue

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

salgut — Fri, 19 Dec 2003 09:06:31 GMT

I wasn't able to get the "Lasik"; the Lasik is pretty quick...you just go in and they slice a section in the top layer of your cornea and hold it up using a suction apparatus...then they resurface the lens so the refraction corrects your vision...and replace the section of the cornea back on top of the lens. Most people say they see really well on the way home from the surgery. It's an "outpatient" procedure these days so you don't have to be admitted to a hospital or anything like that. Instead of the Lasik, I got something along the lines of "keretectomy" (if there are any ophthalmologists online they can set me straight) because the angle of my cornea/lens was too steep and they were afraid the suction device wouldn't work too well. The procedure I got involved removing the top (epithelial) layer of the cornea with a laser and then resurfacing the lens. The epithelial layer then had to regenerate on its own...so it took longer for my vision to correct. I also had to have each eye done separately. I was out of the water about 2 weeks or so for each eye...but they were about a month apart. With Lasik you can do both eyes at the same time and I think it's about 2 weeks. I'm glad I did it.:)

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Thu, 18 Dec 2003 15:34:05 GMT

Keifer swim retailer (@ www.keifer.com) has some reasonably priced corrective goggles that work great for everyday swimming. Lane 4 (@ www.lane4.com) has some good corrective goggles I use for competition. ? for everyone out there - I saw one person mentioned corrective surgery for lazy eye. Was that lazer surgery? Just curious who has had lazer correction? Does is keep you out of the pool for a period of time after surgery?

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

salgut — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 12:17:41 GMT

I swam as a kid in the "BG" (before goggles) era and I was VERY nearsighted. I just did my best to learn how people walked and what colors they were wearing because I could never see them. When I took up Masters swimming...at the ripe old age of about 49....I tried swimming with my contacts. They were the hard contact type, since the soft, disposable types didn't correct my vision well enough. I used to wear them under my goggles. I never had a problem with infections. I was worried that I would lose them when I dove so I tried not wearing them at my first meet. It was okay until I got up on the wrong block because I couldn't see the number written on the side. Very embarrassing! I decided I needed to see so I wore my contacts after that...until I almost lost them at the State meet when my goggles slipped as I dove in. Finally I just went and got laser surgery. I didn't correct 20/20 but I see MUCH better and can even pass the drivers test without corrective lenses now. I would suggest considering the surgery if you are a blind as I was!:cool:

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

waves101 — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 08:46:20 GMT

I wear my contacts while swimming out of necessity. Without my contacts, my vision is approx. 20/400. I wear the 1-2 week disposables so if my goggles leak I will just move to the next pair. No great economic loss. The eye Dr. is actually the one who advised me that contacts are porous and will absorb water from wherever they are exposed and that it could possibly infect the eye. I have been swimming with them for over 5 years now and have never had a problem we could trace directly back to the water. PS. I swim in pools, lakes and even Lake Michigan. I also jet-ski with contacts but never without goggles for the same reasons.

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 06:05:44 GMT

"Contacts are actually porous and will absorb water when exposed. It's possible to get dirty water into the contact which will then iritate or even infect the eye. If your goggles leak while wearing your contacts I highly suggest replacing them immediately." If you say contacts are porous and will absorb water when exposed, then why do any of you wear contacts if this "may" possibly happen? Especially with chlorine. I wear contacts and glasses and can see fine without them but I would NEVER NEVER (just my opinion) wear my contacts while swimming, even with goggles. You can never be sure that water will leak in and then you have a problem. Isn't there another way, like the corrective goggles? Just my opinion.

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Mon, 15 Dec 2003 14:44:46 GMT

I wear glasses for driving and seeing the TV but that's about it. I don't have a problem seeing while swimming. However, I used to wear my contacts while playing water polo, open my eyes under water and everything and never had a problem either losing them or having them come out nasty. I would say that one shouldn't have a problem wearing contacts while swmming.

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

waves101 — Mon, 15 Dec 2003 08:58:10 GMT

I wear contacts with my goggles and have done so for several years. The only real problem you run into is if your goggles leak. Contacts are actually porous and will absorb water when exposed. It's possible to get dirty water into the contact which will then iritate or even infect the eye. If your goggles leak while wearing your contacts I highly suggest replacing them immediately.

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Mon, 15 Dec 2003 07:28:10 GMT

I've worn contacts for about twenty years now. Never had any trouble with them falling out even while surfing. Surprisingly they will manage to stay pretty well glued to your eyeball even when they get a little wet. Better be safe and have some refills handy should you find yourself with a goggle full of water.

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Sun, 14 Dec 2003 15:50:03 GMT

I wore contacts in training and competition for 18 years. Really nearsited 20-800!!! Since turns are so important in breaststroke, I needed to see the walls perfectly, and the contacts did that. Had lazer eye surgery last year, now see 20-20 for the first time. Still need reading glasses for fine print such as 6-8 font, or itallics.

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Sun, 14 Dec 2003 13:31:25 GMT

I am nearsighted and wear either glasses or contacts - depending on the day. I have worn my contacts with my goggles and that seems to work pretty well - I haven't lost them yet:D On days when I don't wear contacts, I can see fine in the pool but have difficulty seeing the pace clock from "the other end". I have often wondered how the prescription goggles work - it sounds like that could be the way to go.

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Sun, 14 Dec 2003 13:12:16 GMT

I am very nearsighted. There was no such thing as goggles when I was a kid, much less prescription/corrective goggles. A little over a year ago, I purchased View goggles. The first time I used them was one Saturday morning. Until that morning I had never seen sunbeams through the water, or the 'spiderwebs' the motion of the water makes on the bottom of the pool, OR BUBBLES! I had never seen BUBBLES! That morning I swam back and forth through the sunbeams and made bubbles with my hands on purpose. Seeing the pace clock is still a problem so I have one of those little rings... LOL, I can't read it, or the workouts I take with me, either unless I lift my goggles up, because I need bifocals. But, being able to glance down the lane and actually tell how much further you have to go, etc. is worth thirty dollars. I will never go without a pair of corrective goggles again.

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Sun, 14 Dec 2003 11:49:06 GMT

I use corrective lens goggles. They cost about $25-$30 over the counter or by mail order.

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

kaffrinn — Sun, 14 Dec 2003 11:44:36 GMT

I have worn contacts while swimming for over ten years. The only problem I have is the worry that when I dive off the blocks, my goggles will come off and then I'll be hosed. But I have never had that actually happen in competition. I have terrible eyesight but can see well enough in the pool without contacts - I can make the turns and stuff, but I just can't tell time out of the water.

RE: Wearing Glasses/Contacts

Former Member — Sun, 14 Dec 2003 11:38:18 GMT

Goggles with corrective lenses are available, and I also use a watch that you can set with the paceclock.