Prescription masks? Namely Cressi

[Alex Ouroboros]

Hi folks recently I had a circular come in my emails from a scuba store I use and it was to advertise for Cressi masks fitted with prescription lenses, as it happens more recently I have sometimes found myself being occasionally unable to fully focus in certain situations ie with a lot of particulate in the water, and yes I do wear glasses for longsightedness which in more recent years has become worse to the point of a recent eye tests and now wearing glasses rather than squinting when reading or doing other activities (reg servicing that sort of thing lol) more of the time, it also happens that I’m quite a serious diver so spend quite a lot of time in the water to warrant the expense, I’m also firmly in the Cressi mask camp as most other masks are either not comfortable or leak easily, would someone with some experience please advise me if prescription Cressi mask (bifocal or not) is the way to go and would increase my comfort.

Thanks in advance peeps.

 

[rmorgan]

I’ve been wearing Big Eyes Evo for years (and agree with your appreciation for them), and with prescription lenses for a good while. I have gotten my last couple of sets (bifocal) ground and installed by Prescription Dive Masks. I don’t know about getting the Cressi lenses, but definitely recommend prescription lenses.

 

[lowwall]

They are absolutely worth it. What's the point of diving if you can't see?

You've got two options in prescription lenses for dive masks. The cheaper one is replacement lenses that have the correction built in. This is fine if you have a single vision nearsighted prescription or only need a reader section for close vision.

For more complex prescriptions (multifocal, astigmatism, hyperopia, high strength, etc.), you will need a specialist optician that will grind lenses in your prescription and then bond them to the inside of your existing mask lenses. Like rmorgan, I use Prescription Dive Masks. But they are in the US. I don't have any idea who does this in the UK.

If you don't want to mess with prescription lenses, another option is contact lenses.

 

[rmorgan]

I don't have any idea who does this in the UK.

Prescription Dive Masks - Dive Sight

Prescription Diving Masks from the UK's leading manufacturer. Fast Delivery. Low Prices. Find the right prescription dive mask for you >>

divesightltd.com

 

[Waterwulf]

I just went to the eye doctor today for new glasses and took my mask along for fitting. I plan on buying a cheap set of frames with my prescription and then modifying them to mount inside my mask. It shouldn't be to difficult to mount once I figure out the right angle and distance.

 

[lowwall]

I just went to the eye doctor today for new glasses and took my mask along for fitting. I plan on buying a cheap set of frames with my prescription and then modifying them to mount inside my mask. It shouldn't be to difficult to mount once I figure out the right angle and distance.

I had to hack together something like this once when I lost my mask. I used a spare pair of glasses (without the arms) and a frameless mask. It sort of worked, but I had massive problems with fogging.

I'm not sure how you'll get around that. With bonded lenses, there's no airspace between the mask glass and the prescription lens so you only have 1 inside surface to deal with, just like a standard mask. With your plan, you'll have 3 surfaces.

 

[SaltLakeCityDIver228]

Hi folks recently I had a circular come in my emails from a scuba store I use and it was to advertise for Cressi masks fitted with prescription lenses, as it happens more recently I have sometimes found myself being occasionally unable to fully focus in certain situations ie with a lot of particulate in the water, and yes I do wear glasses for longsightedness which in more recent years has become worse to the point of a recent eye tests and now wearing glasses rather than squinting when reading or doing other activities (reg servicing that sort of thing lol) more of the time, it also happens that I’m quite a serious diver so spend quite a lot of time in the water to warrant the expense, I’m also firmly in the Cressi mask camp as most other masks are either not comfortable or leak easily, would someone with some experience please advise me if prescription Cressi mask (bifocal or not) is the way to go and would increase my comfort.

Thanks in advance peeps.

I finally had to concede that my eyesight wasn't that sharp anymore so I went to Prescription Dive Masks and had them mount corrective lens in my mask and it was well worth the money.

 

[Waterwulf]

I had to hack together something like this once when I lost my mask. I used a spare pair of glasses (without the arms) and a frameless mask. It sort of worked, but I had massive problems with fogging.

I'm not sure how you'll get around that. With bonded lenses, there's no airspace between the mask glass and the prescription lens so you only have 1 inside surface to deal with, just like a standard mask. With your plan, you'll have 3 surfaces.

Yeah, that's true. Hmmm. Back in my street bike days, I used to wax my helmet visor inside and out and that kept the fog away. It also let water bead up and roll off. Maybe I'll try that or one of the commercial anti fog wipes.

 

[Alex Ouroboros]

Looking like I’ll be stumping up and investing, thanks for replies folks