NEW YORK (Reuters) -- British researchers say improperly-used, broken or badly designed swimming goggles can pose a threat to eyes.
After noticing a goggle-induced redness on their daughter's eyelid, Dr. Nigel Jowett of Withybush General Hospital in Haverfordwest, Wales, and his wife Sheena Jowett, say they "were alarmed to find many previous reports of significant eye injuries associated with the use of swimming goggles."
Their report, published in the U.K.-based Postgraduate Medical Journal, lists a number of ocular injuries induced by too-tight, ill-fitting, or badly handled goggles, including:
-- vision loss, occurring after elasticized goggles were pulled away from the face, slipped from the hand, and recoiled with great force into the eye.
-- corneal damage caused by 'anti-misting' agents found in some goggle designs.
-- bruising around the eye, after underwater collisions involving goggle-wearing swimmers.
-- swollen eyelids, due to over-tightening of goggles.
-- rashes, caused by allergic reactions to goggles' neoprene cushioning material.
The Jowetts say their daughter also presented with another type of injury. After noticing water seeping into her goggles while swimming, the 7-year-old tied them progressively tighter in an attempt to prevent the leak. As she periodically emptied the defective right eyepiece, a suction action was created by the unbroken left goggle upon the flesh surrounding that eye. This suction created a pronounced redness over the girl's left eye, which the Jowetts have labeled "suction purpura (hemorrhage)."
They admit that "the noxious nature of the water in many of our swimming pools make eye protection necessary." However, they believe swimmers should choose the safest goggles available. Recommended designs should include labeled safety instructions, hypo-allergenic seals, low-elasticity straps, flexible one-piece frames, and shatterproof, anti-fog lenses. And they stress that "goggles with poorly functioning seals should be thrown away and not applied more tightly."
SOURCE: Postgraduate Medical Journal (1997;819-820)
