Outdoor swimming, pred, cataracts and tinted goggles!

In response to my recent post regarding MTX and photosensitivity, jinasc reminded me that bright sunlight may increase the potential pred. side effect of an increased risk of cataracts.

I have been dutifully wearing my sunnies whenever there has been a hint of sunshine but had to take them off when I went swimming this afternoon. The gorgeous sunlight was being bounced off the water and was even more dazzling than the sun alone making me think that I need to order some tinted goggles.

I expect that everyone is much more on the ball than me, but I thought that I would share nonetheless.

[SheffieldJane]

Jealous anyway. X

[Alchemy8]

Also opportunity to buy nice hat!! I felt guilty about purchasing a sunhat a couple of weeks ago and since your previous post am pleased I did so. Also recommended sunglasses and hat by my acupuncturist last week - well unlikely to have received such useful information from either a consultant or GP!!

[Hidden in reply to Alchemy8]

I have several lovely hats and have been wearing them too - but not for swimming.

[Telian]

I was advised to wear sunglasses as have had one cataract done. My eyes are light sensitive the best of times so would definitely get tinted goggles for swimming. Lucky you!

[Hidden]

No doubt it will be raining when I go next Saturday!

[Telian in reply to Hidden]

Even in overcast weather I wear sunnies - not in the rain though! Hope it doesn’t rain for you next week!

[Hidden in reply to Telian]

To be honest, it doesn't matter too much as I'm going to be wet anyway.

[Hidden]

I hasten to add that I swim at the local lido. Sadly, we don’t have our own pool. 😔

[Highlandtiger in reply to Hidden]

I’m jealous anyway. I’d love it if we had a local lido!

[Hidden in reply to Highlandtiger]

It is fabulous! It's especially wonderful at the moment as numbers are limited. I'm somewhat dreading the idea of going 'back to normal' later in the month.

[Highlandtiger in reply to Hidden]

Sounds fabulous. Is it heated?

[Hidden in reply to Highlandtiger]

Yes! Even when it was raining and sleety it was glorious to go for a swim.

[Highlandtiger in reply to Hidden]

Oh I’d love that. Most of the outdoor pools in Scotland were closed (Stonehaven being an honourable exception) a long time ago but I remember getting the bus across Edinburgh as quite a young child with my friends to the open air pool at Portobello which had a wonderful wave machine. Happy memories!

[Hidden in reply to Highlandtiger]

To be strictly honest, it's not all that local as it's about 17 miles away and over the border into Suffolk. I feel terribly guilty about the environmental impact of my 35 mile round trip and try to lift share but one of our local pools is closed for until later this month and the other is, frankly, a little lacking in the hygiene department. I will miss my trips to the lido once my local pool reopens and may try to justify one trip a week but it will be lovely to have a pool just 2 miles away, theoretically within cycling distance even though I don't have enough energy for the cycle and swim at the moment.

There used to be a lido approx 1.5 miles from my house but, sadly, it was shut about 30 years ago. There's nothing as exotic as a wave machine but it does have a slide and a diving board. There used to be an indoor pool with a wave machine in Sheringham, about 30 miles from Norwich, but the pool is being rebuilt and there is to be no wave machine - it's sad for local users but especially sad for tourists on rainy days who used to flock to the Splash.

I think that there is a growing body of enthusiasm for lido swimming and several are being re-opened around the country. I'd love to think that someone would be enterprising enough to build and open one in Norwich but the site of the old one has now been deveoped into an outdoor activity centre and Scout camp and the pool has been filled in.

[Telian in reply to Hidden]

At least you don’t have the maintenance to do!

[Hidden in reply to Telian]

So true!