Why Do Swimmers Wear Mirrored Goggles?

Mirrored goggles are in style, and their rise in popularity makes us wonder: why do swimmers choose mirrored goggles? All types of swimmers – from competitive racers to casual pool visitors – wear mirrored goggles. They have a variety of benefits, and whether you choose mirrored goggles for fashion or utility, we believe the additional feature is worth it.

What Are Mirrored Goggles?

Mirrored goggles, similar to mirrored sunglasses, have a special reflective coating on the lenses. That mirrored coating reflects direct light away from your eyes, which in turn makes it easier to see in bright environments. Because of their reflective properties, mirrored goggles have UV protection qualities. The sleek appearance and inability to see the wearer’s eyes also make mirrored goggles an optimal choice for competitive swimmers.

Benefits of Mirrored Goggles

The popularity of mirrored goggles makes it clear that swimmers prefer the additional lens coating. What is it about mirrored goggles that makes them so enticing to all types of swimmers? Keep reading to find out about the benefits of mirrored goggles.

1. Clear Vision

The most practical reason to wear mirrored goggles is to keep bright light out of your eyes while swimming. Goggles without mirrored lenses can lead to excessive squinting into the sunlight or bright pool lights. Squinting makes it difficult to see clearly, can give you headaches, and the squinting motion may also cause leaky goggles. If you swim in a bright environment, such as an outdoor pool, open waters, or even a brightly-lit indoor pool, mirrored goggles will reflect direct light and keep your vision clear.

2. Eye Safety

Mirrored goggles also provide incredibly effective UV protection. During long swim workouts in direct sunlight UV radiation is harmful to your eyes. It’s not as if you can put sunscreen on your eyes! Mirrored goggles are the best option for UV protection.

3. Fierce Competition

Mirrored goggles are popular among ultra-competitive swimmers for another unique reason: the reflective layer means that the wearer’s eyes are not visible. Many swimmers prefer goggles that block competitors from seeing their eyes and believe it gives them a psychological advantage on race day.

4. Sleek Style

Lastly, mirrored goggles are in style. They look sleek and polished, and mirrored goggles can come in almost any color and lens shape.

Whether you need a pair of goggles for lap swimming, splashing in the ocean, or triathlon training, we recommend considering buying a pair with mirrored lenses. Mirrored goggles benefit any type of swimmer in most swimming environments.

The only swimmer who may not benefit from mirrored goggles is someone who swims solely in a dimly-lit indoor pool. In that case, clear or lightly-tinted goggles will suffice. Some goggle purchases, such as the Cooloo Swim Goggles, come in a pack of two pairs of goggles; one pair has mirrored lenses for bright environments and the other pair has clear lenses for dimmer environments. If you plan on only buying one pair of goggles, the additional feature of mirrored lenses rarely costs extra, but always provides advantages.