RGP contacts

[FabletheRaven]

I'm getting RGP contact lenses for kerataconus. Anyone know anything about the safety of diving with it? Air bubbles, can create a pressure change under the contact so I'm unsure. Anyone dive with them? I dive with soft contacts and occasionally lose one when my mask floods and I'm terrified of losing these guys since they're so expensive, but I can't see very well out of my left eye without it.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I'm getting RGP contact lenses for kerataconus. Anyone know anything about the safety of diving with it? Air bubbles, can create a pressure change under the contact so I'm unsure. Anyone dive with them? I dive with soft contacts and occasionally lose one when my mask floods and I'm terrified of losing these guys since they're so expensive, but I can't see very well out of my left eye without it.

Anecdotally, some people dive with them without ill effect. On the opposite side of that, here's an older reference that suggests that bubbles can form under RGPs. The tech may have changed since this was published, so a conversation with your provider might be a good idea:

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses in hyperbaric environments - PubMed

We studied the wearing of hard gas permeable contact lenses during decompression in a hyperbaric environment. Twenty-four exposures of three different lens materials were carried out in a hyperbaric chamber. The dry air dive profiles were: 45.72 m (150 ft) for 30 min and 15 min; 22.86 m (75 ft)...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Best regards,
DDM

 

[jwarrenod]

I'm getting RGP contact lenses for kerataconus. Anyone know anything about the safety of diving with it? Air bubbles, can create a pressure change under the contact so I'm unsure. Anyone dive with them? I dive with soft contacts and occasionally lose one when my mask floods and I'm terrified of losing these guys since they're so expensive, but I can't see very well out of my left eye without it.

I tell my patients who wear RGP’s (whether for keratoconus or “regular” vision correction) that the biggest potential issue is them having to replace lost lenses. A Scleral lens may be another option for you, same material, but much larger and less likely to dislodge/be lost.

If you have a corneal RGP lens displace while diving, you could have some discomfort and lose the lens. I will also offer patients the option of a daily disposable for diving/snorkeling if it will give them acceptable vision for the duration of that activity.

Best source for your options though is you eye doctor.

JW

 

[BRT]

I have kerataconus returning almost 40 years after corneal grafts. I have worn RGP's for decades while diving. I seldom lose a lens when they fall into my mask, once I lost one from being blown away in the wind on the boat. I have had my mask come off and flood a few times but I apparently closed my eyes fast enough. A couple of weeks ago I got back to our AirBnb and realized my left (reading) contact was missing. It was still inside my mask. This trip to Coz I was trying reverse curve lenses, pricy, and they were just too loose so I wore the smaller standard RGP's while diving. Still didn't lose any.

 

[FabletheRaven]

Thanks all! Good to know