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You're welcome...thanks for your link on the Moken Projects....I haven't seen that...just before I read your response I found several of those PDFs (U posted one of them) using Google Scholar and search terms -- Gislen Moken.
I've got --
- The accommodative pupil responses of children and young adults at low and intermediate levels of ambient illumination
- On the optical theory of underwater vision in humans
- Visual training improves underwater vision in children
Before I read any further, to answer your question (I'm almost 38)....for an adult to learn this I reckon, one must at least get back to 20/20 or even better....20/08 is the best I've heard of.
History Channel - Stan Lee Superhumans Season 2 has an archer with incredible vision profiled. Maybe you can find this episode on Youtube. It's on BitTorrent.
I once had 20/15 in one of my eyes...before bad habits weakened it.
In the process of returning my vision (Without surgery...natural means) to 20/15...and perhaps beyond. Vision isn't just focus though it is also awareness and perhaps activation of more "rods" in the eyes and improving the neural-vision circuitry in the brain - is one way I'll explain it.
I'm saying our underwater vision can even be superior to these Moken children I reckon.
But to achieve this requires a different level of understanding of who we are and how our body works beyond the limits of accepted biology/medical science....that conversation could easily fork off into many directions not suitable for Scubaboard.....if u want to talk about it PM me.
quick addendum...i reckon it's possible to do pupil constriction without returning vision to 20/20, etc...but I mean for "optimum" vision underwater.
Plus...the better the vision, the better the muscles surrounding the eye. Which I guess would mean pupil constriction would be easier with stronger muscles.
As a comparison about this ability to see underwater -- which turns CONventional (CON like a CON man) wisdom UPSIDE DOWN....this video about a new trend - Barefoot Running may be insightful
The Tarahumara - A Hidden Tribe of Superathletes Born to Run - YouTube
...so many lies have been told over the centuries/multiple millenia about who we are and what we are capable of.....we've been repeating them so long we don't even realize it...but there are many clues...
I would not be to quick to think 20/20 is required. The act of focusing a wet eye will have optical effects of it's own. itImay be like the Hydro-Optics masks which requires a degree of imperfection.
Seems to me that looking towards the general direction of the sun
while submerged would maintain pupil constriction, unless very deep.
If diver maintains that focus level while submerged by often looking
upwards (something that most divers don't do very often, since their
goal is to seek things below or at level with them), and using their
peripheral vision on objects beyond their preferred focus, then the
pupils would remain constricted.
---
Maybe that method will work to start training our eyes? Maybe I will give it a dry in April when I'm on a Caribbean Island with a nice long reef with clear water...stuck in a city now.