Legally blind without corrective lenses - what to do?

[Moana.the.mermaid]

Ok, so if I'm not wearing my glasses or my contacts, I'm technically legally blind at a -6.5 and -7 in my eyes. I usually wear my contacts all the time but wear goggles when swimming or close my eyes.

My issue is that goggles aren't very mermaid looking. But if I don't wear them, I end up head butting the sand more than I care to admit. Lol. Not very graceful.

Anyone have any ideas? Swim blind without corrective lenses? Keep my eyes closed?

much love, one love - Moana

[Mermaid Wesley]

What about glasses decorated to look mermaidy and with a rubber strap to keep them on or something? I know prescription glasses are pricey, but it could work. I mean you wouldnt be able to see underwater still, but yuo would be able to when you surface. Is there any problem with that that i'm missing?

[Dancing Fish]

Somewhere in this forum are a few threads dedicated to (1) glamming up the goggles and (2) ideas for what to tell kids who ask about them. There are definitely many mers here who only go goggle-free for photoshoots. Rania's got several threads dedicated to babying eyes after swimming in chlorine, too.

http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?8970-Mermaid-Goggles!

[MermaidAine]

You could certainly say something to the effect that you are a deep sea mermaid so when you are in shallow water, or at the surface it is hard for your eyes to see. My problem is my ears. I get swimmer's ear so bad!

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I'm -9 and -10 in my eyes and proud to wear dorky swimming goggles!

I have a back story to go with my eyewear, so its not a major problem for the true believers.

[TrexPilot]

Who told you that you were legally blind? Certainly not a licensed opthamologist, because the medical diagnosis of being legally blind has nothing to do with your vision when NOT wearing corrective lenses. Being legally blind is based on visual acuity (20/100, 20/20, etc.) and the "-6.5 and -7" is a measure of the power needed to focus your eyes, which is used for making corrective lenses. Those numbers do NOT represent your visual acuity.

The definition of legally blind, as stated by the National Federation of the Blind, is:

"An individual shall be considered to be legally blind for purposes of this title if he has central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of a correcting lens. An eye which is accompanied by a limitation in the fields of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees shall be considered for purposes of the first sentence of this subsection as having a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less."

So, as you can see, no matter how poor your vision is WITHOUT glasses, you are not legally blind unless you fit into the criteria stated above WITH glasses. (Or other corrective lenses.)

- T -

[Ariel-Starfish]

I'm -16 and -15 with tunbel sight. Can only open one eye underwater. Swimming without goggles is HARD. It's just the way it is.

[malinghi]

I just wanted to say what TrexPilot said- that legal blindness is defined by your vision with corrective lenses.

Also, Welcome to MerNetwork, TrexPilot!

And I like Wes' idea. Why not wear eyeglasses while swimming? You can use a strap to keep them from falling off. They won't help your vision underwater but everyone's vision is equally bad without goggles.

I think more mers should wear glasses while swimming. Its a good look. Case in point, Mermaid Anita:

http://mernetwork.com/index/attachment.php?attachmentid=1628&d=1328414449

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I was told by my optometrist that I was a borderline case for being legally blind. I've worn glasses the first time I went swimming last year...

Wearing glasses whilst swimming is bad. Unless you're just swimming at the surface doing laps. Going underwater and doing tricks, they are bound to fall off, and with some of our very bad eyesight, its impossible to find them after they've sunk. Even in a shallow pool, when everything is just one gigantic fuzzy blob, there is no way we can find them ourselves. And most times, the lifeguard isn't going to hop in and help you look for it.

I swim alone. I have no swim buddy. And I already lost one lens from a homemade goggles. Not ever going to find it again... I think someone picked it up and took it home!

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