Choosing the Right Prescription

A spectacle prescription is usually written in the following form: sphere (or sph) / cylinder (or cyl) x axis

Usually the right eye is written first followed by the left, either one above the other or side by side:

R -3.00 / -0.50 x 180
L  -3.50 / -1.00 x 2

or

R -3.00 / -0.50 x 180 and then L -3.50 / -1.00 x 2

Occasionally right (R) and left (L) might be written as latin abbreviations OD (oculus dextrus) and OS (oculus sinister) respectively.

In order to calculate the power you need to take into account the two aspects of your prescription.

• The sphere (or sph) is the main part of your prescription and will be ‘–’ for short-sightedness (myopia) and ‘+’ for long-sightedness (hypermetropia).
• The cylinder (or cyl) is the secondary part of your prescription and refers to the amount of astigmatism you have.

You should base the power you order primarily on the amount of short or long sightedness you have. If you also have a moderate degree of astigmatism (up to 2.00), incorporate up to half of this to choose the most appropriate power. Most swimming goggles come in 0.50 steps so you may have to select the nearest power. You need to know the power and sign (+ve or -ve) of both parts of the prescription. Here are some examples:

• -3.00/-1.00x90 - the best power would be -3.50 (-3.00 plus half of -1.00 so -3.00 plus -0.50)
• -3.00/+1.00x90 - the best power would be -2.50 (-3.00 plus half of +1.00 so -3.00 plus +0.50)
  
• +3.00/-1.00x90 - the best power would be +2.50 (+3.00 plus half of -1.00 so +3.00 plus -0.50)
• +3.00/+1.00x90 - the best power would be +3.50 (+3.00 plus half of +1.00 so +3.00 plus +0.50

Unless you have a very basic prescription, most swimming goggles will not provide the same level of vision as your glasses or contact lenses. However, they will provide adequate vision for use in and around a swimming pool. If you are in doubt please contact us with your prescription and our optometrist can make a recommendation.

Yes and no, it will depend on the degree of astigmatism. 

None of the 'off the shelf' goggles/masks correct astigmatism so if the majority of your prescription is astigmatism, or you have astigmatism over 2.00 dioptres you will need a custom-made product for best visual results.

If your astigmatism is less than 2.00 or is not the majority of correction then an 'off the shelf' goggle/mask should be fine. See the question above on 'How do I choose the right power for me?' or contact us with your full spectacle prescription.

Yes.

Usually a prism is required so that you do not get double vision and none of the 'off the shelf' goggles/masks correct prisms.

If you have a small amount of horizontal prism (IN or OUT) you might be okay with it uncorrected for the brief time you are swimming. However, any degree of vertical prism (UP or DOWN) is likely to lead to double vision.

We can still make goggles/masks that include prism, but it will require a full custom-made one.

If you would like us to give you a quote, please contact us with details of your full spectacle prescription.

Not all goggles allow for this (diving masks do) so we have grouped those swimming goggle that do into a special section for 'Swimming goggles available with different powers in each eye'.

In our 'off the shelf' goggles the highest we can do is -12.00 for short-sighted corrections and +8.00 for long-sighted corrections.

In our 'off the shelf' diving masks we can do -8.00 for short-sighted corrections and +4.50 for long-sighted corrections

In our custom made models we believe that we can make almost any prescription, simply contact us with your full spectacle prescription and we will be able to confirm availability and the cost.

I am fraid not.

For anyone under the age of 16, you need to visit your own optometrist as any goggles or masks have to be supplied under the direct supervision (face to face) of a qualified professional.

We are owned and run by a qualified optometrist with over 30 years' experience who really understands your visual needs.

Our staff are trained to handle most queries themselves but are able to refer to the optometrist when they need more specialist knowledge.

Read more in our About Us section.