I'm sighted but I swim with someone who is blind with one of those degenerative vision problems. He can see shapes out of the corner of his eye and does alright swimming in a straight line. Even for backstroke, we are all counting strokes and hitting lap lanes all the time and we're all sighted. I can see how this is an issue with open swim. While it is an often low wake, directional confusion can happen if you can't make out what is around you and you hit walls or the bottom of the pool.

There are more than a few blind swimmers but they are mostly in lap lanes and occasionally get the scares to prove it. It's an accessible sport. Use lap lanes if you can but I don't know your level of vision or how my friend does it. Everyone hits the lane lines so don't worry about messing up.

I really started swimming when my vision degradated, when i stopped seeing the shoreline or other orientation points it was extremely stressed to me when I was swimming in sea or other water, noises were identical and current or waves taken me far away and i didn't noticed it neither my friends/family because they were too relaxed having fun on their own. Then i had to go to shore and walk on beach alone hoping they will notice me, i always tried to wear something characteristic like bandana on head or armband but often i had to walk over 2 km. I swim only when i feel the ground with my feet that's how I feel the direction of current or waves they can be different i never swim alone because of other disease it can be deadly for me at any moment.
I try to orient on waves, winds - if constant, sun warmth position, my swim buddy voice,

In France few years ago i think and maybe other countries they installed around buoys acoustic echolocation signals system so blind and low vision swimmers can swim independent it was tested with local foundations, i wasn't there yet but it sounds interesting.

Swimming in swimming pools is for me not too relaxing ok there's no strong current, waves or sealife but there's too much crowd. Floor is so slippery and many are running around or rushing, noise is packed in building it's very exhausting sensory overload. Good seeing people are using vision they're less exhausted, i noticed that when as family twice per month we went to swimming park next city regularly for many years i was tired faster even when not swimming (there were other stuff: too we did together)

Water is chloride overloaded still better use swimming glasses no matter if it's outdoor or Indoor pool most small kids don't feel like going to toilet... so better to protect yourself even if you're fully blind from infections. That's why eyes are burning are iritated and pink.
But overall water in nature isn't safe either my eye doctor advised me to always swim with swimming eye protection to prevent any infections no matter what water source.

*whom* I mentored