Advice for sensitive eyes

[ryanrush]

Hey all.

I used to bodyboard a lot as a kid, and I'm looking to start surfing. It's something I've always been passionate about from a distance, but never actively done. A large reason for this is that I have incredibly sensitive eyes; so much so that I can't even open them in fresh water. More to the point though, the ocean plays hell with my eyes; the spray stings for me as much as chlorine, and my vision just immediately blurs up, making it hard to keep them open. Obviously, this poses a problem for someone who wants to learn how to surf.

I'm going to guess that goggles aren't a done thing, which I can understand. I imagine they'd cut down on your peripheral vision more than is safe. So, what advice do you have for this problem?

[Big H]

What choice do you have if you don't shield your eyes and you want to do watersports activities? Either stinging and blurry vision, or goggles it seems to me by what you said. Choice is there.....would get goggles that have as wide a field of vision as possible and develop a nervous tick where you are constantly scanning and turning your head.....otherwise you might get a board in the ear one day. Good luck.

[waikikikichan]

Swim goggles will block your field of vision a bit and will flip up on your eye at the wrong moment. Sunglass type will still get water around and behind the lens. I recommend glass snorkel mask with the nose cut off. Gerry Lopez used to surf with those in Indo. I had two pairs of those made by AQA/Kinugawa of Japan. They had glass lenses. But they stop making them. The closest I found currently are by Aqua Sphere. But they have plastic lenses and more closely resemble big swim goggles.

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[dtc]

Those Aqua Sphere ones are also used in open water swimming and they make several variations, including tinted; other manufacturers make open water goggles with bigger lenses/better peripheral vision as well (but perhaps not quite as useful for you as the Aqua Sphere ones)

If the sun affects your eyes as well, look at surf hats in addition to goggles.

Goggles are fine - people might look at you weird but whatever, most of them will assume you need glasses and they are prescription goggles. If they ask just tell the truth, no one will think anything of it - indeed, they are probably impressed that you surf despite the problem

Wkk - do you attach the goggles to your wetsuit or anything like that?

[waikikikichan]

Haven't needed to attach them yet. Usually they get blown down to my neck, not over my head. Plus I just usually wear a cap when i go surfing now. If you wear goggles, people will aim for you.

[Big H]

If you wear goggles, people will aim for you.

That pretty much goes for in or out of the water.......

[jaffa1949]

If you wear goggles, people will aim for you.

That pretty much goes for in or out of the water.......

Hey ther is a legally blind surfer who has surfed Pipe, carry a white stick and all will be well.
seriously do what you need to look after your vision and surf all else is irrelevant .