Besides owning an underwater digital camera one of the most critical factors in good underwater photography is the ability to see the things that you want to get a snap of. Many people believe that the 30% magnification you get underwater will be enough to offset their sight problems but it’s still a good idea to have corrections made to your sight while on land and take that underwater with you. You may not be aware that there are 2 different options to sort out your eyesight while underwater, well in fact there are three but we won’t be going into laser eye correction here.
1. Prescription Diving Lenses–
Tusa make an excellent rang of masks and have about 4 or 5 different models that can have the lenses replaced with prescription ones. These masks are ideal for those that can’t or won’t wear contact lenses while diving for whatever reason. Other mask manufacturers make similar prescription masks but Tusa make the whole thing easy.
You first buy the mask they get the lenses needed for that model. Changing them is easy and you can do this yourself or get your local dive centre to help you. Obviously having to buy the mask and the lenses separate increases the cost but having 20/20 vision on a dive is really worth that extra. Tusa prescription lenses are available in both negative / positive prescriptions in a wide range and if needed you can even get bi-focal but these may not be held as normal stock in your dive centre and have to be ordered from Tusa.
2. Contact Lenses – For many years I struggled with the changing from
my glasses to prescription mask on the back of boats. In some extreme cases I would be sitting on the edge of the RIB just about to drop and have to swap glasses for mask and hope the skipper looked after them until I got back. In all those times I was lucky and never lost one pair of glasses but I did once watch my expensive prescription mask get knocked off the RIBS tube and had to do the days diving with a non-prescription mask. It was that incident that made me look more closely at diving with contact lenses.
Still today when teach students to dive I get asked about diving with contact lenses and is there any problems. The simple answer is no there is no problem if you can wear contact lenses however I wouldn’t recommend you try to learn to dive while trying out new contacts.
The biggest advantage to diving with contact lenses must be the convenience of not having to swap glasses for mask and I can now leave my glasses save on land while I go off diving. The cost is also an advantage as now I can choose and mask from any range and not have to only consider those that can have prescription lenses added to them.
Wearing Contact Lenses While Diving
If you have undergone any scuba training you will know about the mask clearing and mask removal and replace exercise you must complete. I often get asked If it’s possible to lose your contacts during this and of course is the answer but there is nothing that says you need to keep your eyes open while doing those exercises. I prefer to teach people to keep their eyes open and suggest that for those days when you are going to be taking your mask off maybe consider not wearing your lenses. Once you are qualified you won’t be removing your mask much and a full mask flood is a very rare event and although possible, loosing a contact will be the least of your worries on that dive.
I would like to say two final points about diving with contact lenses the first is that after any dive you should make sure you rinse your eyes with freshwater to remove any salt or grit and that if you experience any discomfort in your eyes during the dive end the dive and sort it out. Second, the information about contact lenes here is for soft disposable lenses if you will be wearing the hard type of contact lens then it’s highly recommended you consult your optician before diving.
Diving with short or long sight issues isn’t a barrier but just remember it’s your eyes and you can’t get them replaced if you have any problems seek medical advice before diving.
