Prescription swimming goggles for child

MX5huggy

Should I buy my boy prescription goggles? His prescription is plus 4.5 in both eyes. He wears his glasses by choice at all times.

Anybody with a similar prescription help me appreciate whether swimming is difficult in regular googles in particular in lessons where the teacher is trying to pass on advice on stroke or breathing etc.

He's 7 and progress through swimming stages 1 to 5 in double quick time but is a bit stuck at 6.

GlasweJen

Getting him goggles will help him see things clearer like where he's positioning his arms and possibly make the instructor clearer.

Enterprise_1701C

My prescription is slightly above that. I don't think he really has a choice about wearing his glasses all the time, it is simply a case of wanting to see. If he didn't wear them his eyes would get more and more tired throughout the day.

I either wear my glasses when I swim or wear prescription goggles. I am not a serious swimmer, my face does not go in the water.

Have you ever held his glasses in front of your eyes? Might give you some idea of what he sees if he does not wear his glasses.

GwylimT

Yes he needs them, being in water and unable to see can be very scary, not particularly safe either. You can change the lenses, so the same pair last ages.

Fen1

Prescription goggles are a must. Not only does it mean that he is safer in the water, it also means that he is safer around the pool and in the changing area. It is all too easy to slip or trip next to the pool, and not being able to see properly increases the risk of falling. Being "blind" not only means that he is missing trip-hazards, but is also probably affecting his posture, gait and proprioception, all of which will increase his risk of falling.

snozberry

I can't manage without my prescription goggles in the pool.

MX5huggy

Interesting slight over reaction, it's only the last 6 months or so that he's chosen to wear glasses when playing football (which he's good at) only opting to wear them after I said that he would be able to see the spin of the ball. For tennis he's always worn them. In the local centre parks type place with flumes etc he's a complete nutter dashing about running up stairs, trying to break all the rules about going head first or waiting for the flume to clear before going.

But as no one has said I've got similar eyes and there not needed. Is it ok to buy online? He goes to specsavers who I don't think do them.

GwylimT

Yeah you can buy online, we use pulse prescription goggles for our daughter.

Hedgehog99

Having needed glasses since I was four, I learned to swim while not being able to see clearly in the pool (could not recognise faces or read the depth indicators). As long as you check beforehand which is the deep end, where the emergency exits are and any "no diving" areas, he should be fine.

If you do want to go down the prescription goggles route, remember that goggles do mist up sometimes, so they're not a complete solution.

You can get off-the-peg goggles in stepped prescriptions which could work out cheaper while his sight changes as he grows up.

snozberry

Vision Express do them as that is where I get mine. I had to wait a week for them though and they are quite reasonably priced as well.

GlasweJen

Specsavers will sell them, they'll be ordered from a catalogue and assembled in the shop (you buy them in pieces).

Being under 16 means he should have all of his prescription items dispensed by an optometrist or dispensing optician. This means the prescription will have been properly checked and the fit assessed. Incorrectly fitted glasses/goggles can cause problems further down the line for children especially children under 8/9 as their eye is still developing. Please do not buy online and hope for the best. Swimming goggles from the opticians will set you back about £20.

As for him wearing his glasses, plus prescriptions can take some getting used to which means it can be hard to get children with + to wear their glasses outside of school where they make close work easier. This doesn't mean they shouldn't be worn full time, +4.50 is a decent prescription and is definitely for full time wear. It might not seem important now but I had a patient come in, she had went to sit her driving test having immigrated here and needed to pass our test. Well she goes to the test centre and failed before she even got out the car park as she failed the number plate test. Turned out that back home she had never been encouraged to wear her glasses as they were seen as not lady like in her culture. Her vision was just below driving standards, she's too old to fix the problem now so she will never drive.