There are many drawbacks to having poor vision. Glasses should always be worn in order to function normally, whether reading, driving, working, or watching movies. But aside from those, snorkeling is another difficult activity to engage in when you have poor vision. People with poor vision typically wear their snorkel masks inside of their glasses. That, however, is not cozy underwater. Because of this, prescription snorkel masks or goggles are also offered. There are various types of goggles available, and drop-in lenses that are already made and corrected to fit them can be purchased.
If you wear contact lenses or glasses with a prescription, you are probably aware of how important it is to take good care of your eyes. This implies that you must always wear your glasses or contact lenses, even when swimming. If you’re curious how, use a pair of swimming goggles that you have had fitted with a prescription. Swimmers should always wear goggles so they can accurately assess walls and other swimmers. In addition, goggles prevent irritating chemicals like chlorine and chloramines from causing itching and red eyes.
You won’t have access to the same selection of goggles as people without prescription vision if you wear glasses. But fear not, there are still many choices available. There are many options available, whether you enjoy swimming in pools or open water or are looking for kids’ prescription swimming goggles. No worries if you require assistance in locating the best one because we are providing you with a guide to prescription underwater eyewear today.
Things to Consider When Choosing Prescription Goggles
Here are some crucial factors to take into account if you’re thinking about purchasing prescription swimming goggles:
Anti-Fog Lenses
Goggles’ lenses are prone to fogging, especially in water of varying temperatures. Given this, it’s crucial to select prescription goggles with anti-fog lenses because they can improve your ability to see clearly underwater. Additionally, anti-fog lenses can assist you in avoiding potential swimming mishaps and frustrations.
Tint
Additionally, tinted prescription swimming goggles are excellent because they function well in a variety of bodies of water. A light-colored lens tint can assist in blocking out the glaring blue light when swimming in a pool. Darker tinted lenses are required if you are swimming in lakes or oceans because they will reduce glare from the water.
100% UV Protection
Swimming is impossible while wearing sunglasses. Since swimming for an extended period of time, especially outdoors, puts you at risk for sun exposure, you should also find prescription goggles that can block out UV rays. Because in addition to being directly exposed to the sun, your skin and eyes are also affected by the light that is reflected off of the water. You must choose prescription goggles that offer UVA and UVB protection in this case.
Prescription
You need to find a pair of goggles that will allow you to add a prescription. There are also swimming goggles with prescription lenses that are typically very close to your exact prescription. Most of them won’t give you the exact same level of vision as your glasses or contact lenses unless you have a very simple prescription. But they can provide more than enough visibility in and around the pool.
Adjustable Strap
Additionally, it’s crucial to select prescription swimming goggles with adjustable straps. They can then snugly fit to your face and stay on while you’re swimming.
Adjustable Bridge
A comfortable fit over the nose is required for the prescription goggles’ bridge. Each of its lenses ought to be evenly spaced from the eyes.
Plastic Lens Seal
In order to prevent water from entering the lenses while you swim, it is preferable to select goggles with a plastic seal that will stick to your face.
Different Prescription Snorkel Mask Lenses
Different types of lenses are used in prescription snorkel masks. Here are a few of the most typical:
Bonded Corrective Lenses
You can test out bonded lenses as one of your options. Your prescription will be used to create the corrective lenses. They will then be adhered to the lens of your snorkeling mask. If you choose this route, the businesses that offer this service can see or see your snorkel mask. The lenses will then be cut to the shape of your mask lens and ground to your prescription specifications.
A special glue is used to attach these lenses to the inside of your snorkel mask. Some may even let you attach prescription readers to the underside of your snorkeling mask. For those who have trouble seeing things up close, this option is fantastic. The drawback of bonded corrective lenses is that they can make your snorkel mask heavier. In addition, there may be gaps at the edges because the bonded lenses are not always precisely the same shape as your snorkel mask lens. Additionally, those with very high prescriptions should avoid it.
Custom Prescription Lenses
For those with strong astigmatism or prescriptions with high strengths, this option is the best choice. The whole mask lens will be replaced with a lens that is made specifically for you according to your prescription, similar to bonded corrective lenses. A perfect fit is another advantage of this. Because they are made of sturdy, lightweight plastic, custom prescription lenses are lighter.
Drop-In Lens Mask
It is also possible to purchase snorkel masks with easily replaceable lenses so that you can insert bifocals or ready-made corrective lenses. This is a cost-effective alternative that many snorkelers favor, especially those without astigmatism or a very strong prescription. A drawback of these lenses is that the correction is not precisely centered where your eyes are, though. This might be problematic if you have eyes that are too narrow or too wide.
Choosing a Prescription Snorkel Mask or Goggles
One of the most crucial factors to think about when purchasing a prescription snorkel mask is the lenses. Remember that there are near- and far-sighted lenses available. Additionally, you ought to pick one that is strong and secure. Tempered glass is safer for your eyes and more impact-resistant than other types of lenses used in snorkel masks. Along with the lenses, there are other common factors you should consider, one of which is comfort. Finding a comfortable snorkel mask is important because snorkeling takes a lot of time. Avoid wearing those whose head straps are too tightly compressed. To prevent skin irritation, it’s also best to select a prescription snorkel mask with a silicone gasket. Last but not least, you must determine whether the mask effectively adheres to your skin. By doing this, you can make sure there won’t be any leaks, which can be very annoying while snorkeling.
There are crucial factors to consider when choosing lenses in order to make the best decision. Typically, a prescription for glasses is written as follows:
sphere / cylinder x axis
R -3.00 / -0.50 x 180
L -2.50 / -1.00 x 180
Two components of your prescription—the sphere and the cylinder—must be considered in order to determine the goggle lens power that is right for you. The main focus of the prescription is the sphere. The opposite of positive is the opposite of negative when it comes to vision. Contrarily, the cylinder, which denotes the degree of astigmatism you have, is the secondary portion of the prescription. To get you thinking, consider these examples:
-3.00 / +1.00 x 90
the best power for this is -2.50 (-3.00 plus half of +1.00 = -3.00 plus +0.50)
+4.00 / +1.00 x 90
the best power for this is +4.50 (+4.00 plus half of +1.00 = +4.00 plus +0.50)
Advantages of Wearing Googles
Every swimmer needs a pair of goggles in their locker. Goggles can be a huge help to you in the water, regardless of your skill level. Here are three advantages of wearing swimming goggles to help spread the word:
The eyes are shielded by goggles from chemicals and saltwater
The fact that goggles protect against chlorinated water and saltwater from the ocean is one of the most obvious advantages of wearing them. It’s no secret that chlorine can sting the eyes quite a bit when it gets in contact with them. The same holds true for saltwater. And while for some people this isn’t a big deal, for others it can be very upsetting and distracting. The amount of water that can enter your eyes is decreased by the protective watertight seal that good goggles offer. Therefore, owning a pair of goggles is a necessity for anyone who is particularly sensitive to chlorine.
They increase visibility underwater
The purpose of goggles is to be worn underwater. And this is where they can really help you become a better swimmer. You may be able to safely increase your speed while maintaining good spatial awareness if you can see more clearly underwater. Goggles’ clarity also makes it simpler and more confident to perform exercises underwater, improving your swimming experience all around.
Using goggles can help you stay motivated
Stinging eyes and poor visibility underwater can both significantly lower your desire to stay in the pool. For all the reasons mentioned above, goggles are a great solution to this. You could potentially increase your motivation to swim by donning goggles. They won’t only make you feel more assured in your abilities both onstage and underwater, but they’ll also relieve the throbbing pain of chlorine in the eyes.
Conclusion
We can recommend these tips in choosing your best prescription eyewear underwater. However, it is always best to ask your optometrist for advice if you are having trouble choosing which goggles to buy or even guide you further in picking the lenses of your snorkel mask. We sincerely hope that the information in this article has aided your quest to learn more about prescription eyewear.