permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?

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2008-12-04 8:02 AM

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Master
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Chapel Hill, NC
Subject: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
I received this email from a someone (in relation to a very old BT thread, I think) and wondered if this is something to worry about? I still do get raccoon eyes that last several hours, but just live with it. I am almost this woman's age, so now I am worried!

    I read your internet post below and wanted to follow up with you to find out how your eyes are faring.

    I'm a 47 year old female swimmer and have terrible bags under my eyes from wearing AquaSphere Kaiman Goggles this past summer.
    They did not leak so I thought they were great, but they did leave the red marks and swelling under my eyes. had I known what they would do to my general appearance several months later, I would have NEVER worn these.

    I estimate I wore them 25 times over the summer, at 30 minutes per swim approximately.

    I'm VERY worried and was told by a RN/esthestician today that I would need plastic surgery/blepharoplasty to correct the problem. It's been 3 months since my last swim and I feel I have aged years in the last 3 months. Very very upsetting. I am getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising etc, putting cucumber slices and cold compresses on my eyes but when I look in the mirror in the morning, I am aghast at what I am seeing.

    Anyway, I hope you do not have this problem but I wanted to check in and see if you are still wearing goggles or what. If I were you, I would only use a swim mask as at 47 I am now dealing with seemingly permanent goggle marks.

    thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you,
    R-----

      Hi,

      In August, I started swimming 3 times a week for 1 hour. I have tried
      numerous brands of goggles and they all leave me not only with racoon
      eyes for several hours, but I now notice a general appearance of bags
      under my eyes all the time. As a 40+ woman, I am worried about long
      term damage to my skin and wrinkles.

      I have tried the following brands of googles....

      Speedo Woman's Vanquisher (these are my favorite in terms of comfort
      and being leakproof)

      Barracuda Ultimate (these seem to seal well without needing tight
      straps, but leave me with the worst racoon eyes!).

      TYR Socket Rockets (a fellow swimmer recommended these...they do not
      fit my eye sockets at all and totally leak. i love the infinitely
      adjustable nose strap, tho, and wish they did fit my face!)

      TYR Racetech (these seem very similar to the Vanguisher)

      Speedo Basic googles (can't remember the exact model, but these are the
      basic cheap googles with black foam seal. a fellow swimmer told me to
      use these with vaseline smeared around my eyes and the strap as loose
      as possible. They leak alot).

      Any recommendations? I must have an odd shaped face or sensitive skin
      or something, and I am going broke trying new googles!

      Thanks for any ideas. Carol
      ncskibum at gmail dot com



2008-12-04 8:15 AM
in reply to: #1838150

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Cycling Guru
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Fulton, MD
Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
Perhaps switch to a "mask" type system?  I know Fred (Pennstate) has used them in races and you do see a lot of people using them without any issues?
2008-12-04 8:36 AM
in reply to: #1838150

Expert
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Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?

Could it be as simple as 'they are too tight'?  That would be my first guess.

I bought about 7 pairs of goggles until I found some that fit my face.  I could make some of them 'fit' by wrenching them down tight.  Once I found the pair that actually works for me, though, I was (am) able to wear them, leak-free, without having to make them tight.

2008-12-04 8:54 AM
in reply to: #1838189

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
mdickson68 - 2008-12-04 8:36 AM

Could it be as simple as 'they are too tight'? That would be my first guess.

I bought about 7 pairs of goggles until I found some that fit my face. I could make some of them 'fit' by wrenching them down tight. Once I found the pair that actually works for me, though, I was (am) able to wear them, leak-free, without having to make them tight.

What he said... I finally found that by using the AquaSphere Junior/Small goggles, I can wear them relatively loose and still don't get any leaks. 

2008-12-04 9:24 AM
in reply to: #1838150

Veteran
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Windsor, Ontario via the Detroit Tunnel
Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
There have been many cases documented in the archives of opthalmology that deal with swimmers eyelid syndrome. Complications of swim google use included swelling, redness, itching, numbness around the eye and an increase in intraocular pressure. Most of these cases were a result of using the hard plastic googles. If the swelling and redness only last a few hours you may have an allegy to the skirt material around the googles. I would look into the mask for long trainging swims and use the googles for races.

http://www.rei.com/product/766439

2008-12-04 9:29 AM
in reply to: #1838189

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Folsom, CA (Sacramento Area)
Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
mdickson68 - 2008-12-04 6:36 AM

Could it be as simple as 'they are too tight'?  That would be my first guess.

I bought about 7 pairs of goggles until I found some that fit my face.  I could make some of them 'fit' by wrenching them down tight.  Once I found the pair that actually works for me, though, I was (am) able to wear them, leak-free, without having to make them tight.




I agree. The gogles should almost stay in place by vacumm. there should not be too much tension on the band.
Bags under the eyes may also have more to do with genetics than anything external anyways. 30 times ove the summer is not that much. Many competitive swimmers, like myself, wore gogles 3-5 hours a day/six days a week / for about twenty years (age 6 to 26 roughly) and I don't see that many ex-swimmers with that problem



2008-12-04 4:06 PM
in reply to: #1838189

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Expert
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Malvern, England
Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?

This concerns me too (especially as a 41 yr old female).  I use Speedo Womens Vanquisher and I they are a great (vacuum) fit - so much so that sometimes the straps fall off whilst swimming -ie no leak and very loose.  However I STILL end up with goggle marks for many hours afterwards - so much so that it puts me off morning swimming - I have comments from people when I go from morning swimming to somewhere.

I hadn't realised that it may result in permanent damage

 

2008-12-04 4:16 PM
in reply to: #1838150

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Pro
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The Land of Ice and Snow
Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
Yikes! I always wondered about the possibility of creating "permanent" bags under the eyes from the googles. It was for this reason alone that I switched to Aquasphere seal xp "mask-like goggles. WAY better....I can go somewhere after swimming without looking like an exhausted old hag!!
2008-12-04 5:01 PM
in reply to: #1838150

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Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
I would be really interested to hear about what masks you all like.  My Vanquishers are great, but I hate the bags I get for the next several hours.  I am definitely switching to a mask, so now I just need to find the right one!
2008-12-04 6:56 PM
in reply to: #1839222

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Extreme Veteran
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Webster, Ma
Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?

I use some Nike goggles I got at Dick's a year and a half or so back. I always have terribly swollen and bag ridden eyes when I am done, but I do have to have them very tight in my eye to not leak so I am sure that has something to do with it.

I have REALLY been thinking of switching to the mask style since I have been spending alot more time in the pool lately. If I do this weekend I will update on my eye condition.

2008-12-04 8:05 PM
in reply to: #1838150

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Master
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Horseheads, NY
Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
I have bags under my eyes too but I think it has more to do with a 2 1/2 year old who won't sleep at night then any fit problems with my goggles!

2008-12-05 6:48 AM
in reply to: #1838150

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Champion
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Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
Unfortunately, "permanent" might be just hyperbole. I'm sure that it's gotten worse over the past couple of years, although at my age - turning 60 in January - I guess I shouldn't be surprising that skin elasticity isn't what it used to be. About a year ago, in a fit of vanity, I bought some cream designed to help with this sort of problem, but 98% of the time I forget to use it post-swim. So be it.

Vanity is not enough, however, to send me looking for goggles that might leave less marking. I have a long thin face, and finding googles that work is enough of a problem so that once I found some - Zoggs Phantom - I haven't truned back. GREAT goggles, hard to find in North America (my source is www.aqua-gear.com, in Florida), and worth any amount of facial marking!
2008-12-05 12:33 PM
in reply to: #1838150

Veteran
142
10025
Windsor, Ontario via the Detroit Tunnel
Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
x2 on the aquasphere XP. I agree that genetics plays a big role in skin elasticity. But if you are prone to baggy eyelids, then any repetative infammation (allergy or googles)will stretch the skin around the eyes and the loss of elasticity over time will cause "baggy" eyes. I try an minimize my risks and wear a mask.

Tim
2008-12-05 12:41 PM
in reply to: #1838150

Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
Used Air Seal XR until recently when I tried Vanquisher Plus. The Vanquisher felt great when swimming, but painful when taking off. Noticed the old racoon eyes, too. Just brought another pair of Air Seal XRs becuase I don't remember them being painful when removing. (This store also had sone Speedo triathlon googles. Better peripheral view apparently. Checked the Speedo web site and no mention of them. hmm)
2008-12-05 3:00 PM
in reply to: #1838150

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Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?

One guy I swim with at the YMCA has been swimming and wearing goggles for almost 20 years straight, he's in his late 40's, and he has permanent goggle bags and round, dark wrinkles around his eye sockets.  Time to look into a mask cause I get the same thing after I swim, but perhaps one day it won't go away!!

 

 

2008-12-05 3:27 PM
in reply to: #1838150

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Expert
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The Woodlands, TX
Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
I'm no doc, but I would argue against the suction/vacuum. If the googles/mask are sucking on your eye sockets, then wouldn't they be bursting tiny capillaries and the like, causing damage?

I have been swimming 29 years now and for most of them I have worn swedish googles. They have no foam/rubber rings to create any suction. they just rest on your face. Some people say they don't like them or they don't fit their face, but if they do fit they never really leak as there are no seals to leak with. I see a bunch of people wear their googles too tight which tells me they fit poorly. If a goggle is fitting right then you can barely feel it on your head.


2008-12-05 4:06 PM
in reply to: #1838150

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Expert
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Illinois _ Chicago area
Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?

Wow, I have this problem too. After a morning swim I look like I've been up all night .  At first the "goggle eyes" would go away in about an hour, but lately it's been lasting several hours.  Now I'm really paranoid that it is causing permanent or progressive damage.  I'm 47 so I don't need any help in the aging  process.  My problem is that many goggles do not fit me as I have a smaller face and closer set eyes.  I probably make my goggles too tight to compensate.  Any suggestions for smaller styles.

 

2008-12-05 8:10 PM
in reply to: #1838150


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Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
Barracuda Standard swim goggles may be your answer. Soft foam seal, No circles, no bags. Just a comfortable goggle with a good vision field. They were "the thing" before the swim masks showed up.

Click on "Gear Reviews" to the far right up above on the beginner Tri menu with the bike icon, scroll down to see a review on " Barracuda Goggles ".

Goggles are something that some swimmers can buy a single pair and be Ok and other swimmers can go thru a dozen till they find one that works for them.. oh well imagine the cost if you golfed and had to buy and try a dozen putters!
2018-04-09 11:59 AM
in reply to: #1838150


2

Subject: RE: permanent bags under the eyes from goggles?
I use the stuff advertised on TV that removes bags in 2 minuets. It does work but leaves a residue that needs to be wiped off. I don’t think it will prevent permanent damage though. I currently wear speedo optical goggles which I think are vanquishers. I will be looking into a mask or some of the other suggestions
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