Swimming goggles and glasses buying guide

Anti-fog, panoramic, gasket type, small socket or large; choosing the best set of swimming goggles for you is not as easy as it seems.

Not only will the right set make you feel comfortable, but many swimmers will attest to how the the perfect goggles making them “feel” fast in the water.

But whether you feel quicker in a tiny pair of sophisticated Swedish-style reflective lenses, or a big and bold set of wide-angled goggles is up to you.

Style is just one aspect of picking the right pair, however. If you’re going to be spending some serious hours in the pool, then you need to be comfortable and able to trust your goggles not to fog up, slip, or distract you.

Goggle features to look for

Modern goggles have a huge variety of features and styles that will be beneficial depending on the type of swimming you do. Here’s a list of the attributes to look out for and what they mean.

Anti-fog

Anti-fog goggles are designed to limit the amount of mist that can build on the inside of your lenses, which can limit your vision, especially when you are working hard in the pool.

UV Protection

Not much use if you do most of your swimming inside, but for outdoor front crawlers or tri-athletes, ultraviolet (UV) protection is invaluable. Retinas, the membrane at the back of the eye, don’t come with nerve endings, so you don’t feel the damage the sun is doing to your eyes. Sun-damage to the retinas – known as photic retinopathy - can build up over time and can be brought about even in cloudy, overcast conditions when UV rays can still be deceptively strong.

Most goggles now come with some level of UV protection, with many offering a complete UV shield for UVA and UVB light. If you are swimming outdoors then make sure you carefully check the features of the goggles you are considering.

Lens curve

If you want to keep one eye on the competition, then having a wide field of view can be very useful. Curved lenses provide distortion-free, 180-degree range of vision, which is ideal for competition swimming in either a pool or open water. Some swimmers prefer the blinkered approach, so they can focus on their own performance and block out distractions. It’s really up to you which you prefer.

Nose Bridge

Many goggles are now supplied with adjustable nose bridges to fit every face. Not all goggles come in different frame sizes making the ability to adjust the nose bridge a must.

Classic versus Swedish

The classic swimming goggle forms a wide seal around the eye socket using a gasket, which can be circular or oval shaped. Swedish-style goggles have been around since the 1970s, but are becoming increasingly popular, especially among elite swimmers. Their lower profile and drag reduction properties make them ideal for competitive racing. The goggle sits right on the eye socket and their small size and placement within the socket itself means they don’t require a gasket and are less prone to fogging. However, their intimate fit around the eye can take some getting used to.

Hydrodynamic design

This scientific sounding term really just refers to the profile of the goggles, and whether they move easily through the water when at high speeds.