I've had glaucoma for quite a while now and have had success with Xalatan +
Cosopt keeping my IOP down around 10 to 14 (both eyes).  However, my cornea is
thin (0.49mm) and my doc refers to my current condition as normal tension
glaucoma - my visual field defects are _very_ slowly getting worse over the years.

My most recent field tests (two in one month - second to confirm the first)
showed marked increase in damage in the right eye compared to the test done six
months earlier.  My right eye has gone from (corrected) 20/20 t0 20/25 and the
defects are near the centre of the field of view - very annoying.

My doc thinks it may be due to fluctuations in IOP and has switched me from
Xalatan to Travatan.  I find it odd that such fluctuations suddenly start
causing a problem.  I realized that one thing has changed in that six month
period - I started swimming 2-3 times per week for 45min to an hour at a time.
I wear prescription swim goggles.  I've begun to wonder if the goggles are
causing the problem.

I know from scuba diving and reading up on glaucoma in those kinds of
environments (hyperbaric - being immersed in high pressure) that it's actually
good for glaucoma - the uniform pressure on the outside of the eye reduces
effective IOP and some research suggests that oxygen saturation in the eye under
those conditions may cause short-term reversal of defects (weeks to a few months).

Critical to this is dive mask equalization - the diver must ensure that the
pressure inside the mask is equal to the water outside by blowing air into the
mask through his nose.  Otherwise, a local negative pressure results and can
increase IOP.

Swim goggles do not have any mechanism for equalization.  However, they are not
used in deep water - I don't go lower than about 10' in the pool and then
rarely.  Most of the time I am only immersing my eyes a few inches as I swim at
the surface.

It is also possible that the goggles slip off of the bone above my eye and rest
on the eyelid, thus putting direct pressure on the eye.

I haven't found anything via google on swim goggles and glaucoma with the
exception of an article on post-operative problems (search on "Swim goggles
suck" for the article).  This doesn't apply in my case.

Does anyone know of specific warnings/problems/contraindications related to
swimming, swim goggles and glaucoma?  I hate the thought of giving up swimming
(bad knees and arthritis means no running/cycling/etc so swimming is one of the
last forms of energetic aerobic activity left to me).

Mike