Knowledge tip 🏊🏻♂️:
You don't have to be a marathon swimmer to benefit from wearing swimming goggles.
Swimming goggles are designed to create a tight seal around your eye sockets while leaving your nose free.
Masks or face shields create a seal around the eye sockets but also cover the wearer's nose.
In both cases, the pressure exerted by the water pushes the device against the face, helping them stay in place and sealed securely. This is called the “squeeze.”
For a mask or goggles to work, the grip must be firm but not uncomfortable.
No matter where you swim, from the chlorinated pool in your backyard to freshwater lakes and rivers or in the ocean, it's important to protect your eyes from all the things you can't see.
Chlorine is a chemical that kills most, but not all, of the harmful viruses and bacteria that can live in water.
So while it protects your eyes from possible infection, chlorine itself can be a problem, especially for swimmers who are in the pool every day and for hours.
Glasses decrease your exposure to chlorine and the few viruses, like conjunctivitis, that can survive the chemical.
Because it is untreated, fresh water contains both a large number of benign and potentially dangerous bacteria.
Although seawater is similar in composition to human tears, the higher concentration of salt in seawater can irritate the eyes rather than calm them.
Bacteria and viruses are also a concern with seawater, but an even greater risk is the many suspended particles that the water carries.
