FAQ

Q: I need a pair of swimming goggles with prescription lenses. How do I order the correct lenses?

My prescription is:

Sphere Cylinder Axis

OD -5.75 -1.25 180

OS -4.0 -0.75 45

A: We offer lenses from -1.5 to -10.0 in half step diopters for nearsightedness (Myopia). Some eye care providers use a method called sphere equivalency to determine what lens to use when there is some astigmatism. This usually involves adding in half of the cylinder value to the sphere value, and then selecting the lens power that is closest.

So for the above example, you would choose -6.0 for the right (OD) eye, and -4.0 for the left (OS) eye.

Refer to these sites for a thorough explanation of how prescriptions are written:

Q: Where can I purchase Sable swim goggles?

A: We sell our products on JustWetsuits.com and through our retailers, which you can find here on the retailer locator by putting in your zip or postal code. You may also be able to purchase them through your eye care provider. If you can't find a retailer nearby, you can purchase some of our products on our tri-goggles.com website.

Q: How should Sable goggles be cleaned?

A: Here's what we recommend for cleaning the inside of the lenses to protect the anti-fog lens coating:

Fill the lens cups with tap water.
Squirt a drop of dish detergent in each eye cup (something like Palmolive or Dawn that doesn't have lotions and softeners and aromatherapy and pudding and whatnot)
Using a soft fingertip, gently and softly rub the anti-fog to help break up the oils and the like that have built up on the surface. (If you're a bricklayer or otherwise have rough and tumble fingers, find someone with soft fingertips to do this so that you don't inadvertently scratch the anti-fog coating.)
Finally, rinse the lens cups out with tap water and repeat a couple times if necessary. Do not use a towel or a microfiber cloth on the inside to clean or dry it.

Be sure to rinse the lenses well after swimming in chlorinated water as chlorine will, over time, eat away at the anti-fog coating. Rinsing with tap water will remove most of the chlorine from the lenses. For maximum life of the anti-fog feature, using the cleaning procedure above after swimming in chlorinated water will further extend the usable life of the coating.

Q: What do I do if the clasp that holds the strap on my Sable 101 model has broken?

A: Unfortunately, we had a batch of clasps that had the potential to break. If this happened to your pair of Sable 101MT or Sable 101ST goggles, we would like to get this fixed for you. Let us know on our contact us page and we'll help you get this fixed asap!

Q: How can the nose bridge be changed?

A: We have some Youtube videos that explain how to remove and reinsert a nose bridge. View the videos here.

Q: How can a lens or lens seal be re-inserted?

A: We have some Youtube videos that explain how to change a lens or insert a lens seal. View the videos here.

Q: How can I purchase replacement lenses?

A: Some replacement lenses are now available for direct purchase through our Amazon store. If you don't see the color that you need, get ahold of us on our contact us page or email us at info@sablewateroptics.com.

Q: Why do my goggles seem to fog more often lately?

A: Sable lenses will fog for one of two reasons:

The anti-fog may not function well if it has completely dried out. An example of this is when the goggles are put on dry and the lenses start to fog up after 5-10 minutes of swimming. The anti-fog coating pulls moisture into itself, but it needs some moisture to do this. To address this, simply pour a little tap water into the lens cups and then shake out the extra water prior to swimming. Given that most pools have body oils, cosmetics, lotions, and suntan oils floating on their surface, we don't recommend that you wet the inside of your goggle lenses with pool water.

The anti-fog coating requires cleaning. See the earlier question above for what we recommend to clean the anti-fog coating.

Q: How can I specify the frame size to fit my face?

A: Both the 922 and the 101 goggles come with small, medium, and large nose bridge sizes. One of these, usually the large size, comes installed in the frame. The other sizes are included should they be needed. You can check the size in your goggle nose bridge by looking for S, M, or L on the inside of the nose bridge. All our models also feature a very flexible silicone seal that fits many face shapes and sizes.

Although we do not make custom fitted goggles and cannot guarantee the fit, many tri-athletes have found them to fit exceedingly well. The best way to determine if they are right for you is to try them.

Q: Do you offer goggles with polarized lenses to protect against glare?

Update: Look for the New GX-100 model available NOW featuring Polarized Lenses!

A: Although our lenses are not polarized, our 101 mirrored lenses, both plano and prescription, do a fantastic job of killing glare as attested by the many tri-athletes that wear them in early morning races facing directly into the sun.

Q: What is the difference between tinted and mirrored lenses?

A: Mirrored lens models are the best for outdoor swimming and bright environments, such as swimming backstroke or early morning triathalons as they reduce glare. Tinted lenses are great for indoor and lower-light swimming. Both lens styles prevent against UV rays.

Q: My eyes require different strengths (-2 and -3.5), so do I need to buy 2 pairs of goggles (a -2 pair and a -3.5 pair) and then remove and rearrange the lenses to get a pair that fits my needs?

A: No, Sable goggles can be are ordered to meet your prescription needs with different strengths for left and right. Some swimmers do end up buying a second pair so that they have one for indoors (tinted lenses) and one for outdoors (mirrored lenses), but if you only need or want one pair, that is all you need to purchase.

Q: I wear contact lenses. Can I wear non-correcting swim goggles over them?

A: Sable goggles come with several nose bridge sizes and have flexible silicone seals to fit most swimmers and effectively protect the eyes. Although we don't advise swimming with contacts, many casual swimmers prefer to use the non-prescription (Plano) goggles

while swimming with their contacts lenses. Talk to you eye doctor about the risks of eye infection from swimming with contact lenses.

Many swimmers enjoy the freedom of our Rx goggles and prefer to swim without risk to their contacts or their eyes.

Q: Are all of these questions really asked frequently?

A: No, but they give the answers you need.