prescription dive masks

[Nathan Wong]

I have been using the seavision masks for about half a year now and its working great!
I have astigmatism as well and seavision was able to grind in the right prescription for me. Its definitely on the pricier side but its worth it for me.

 

[Painter]

I have used a Deep Blue prescripition mask for several years and have been happy with it.

 

[t-mac]

If you have a simple prescription (no bad astigmatism) you have a bunch of options. Most major manufacturers make make masks that have lenses that are user replaceable with off the shelf Rx versions. I've used Mares and Cressi in this regard. I prefer the Cressi because it fits me better, but I'm happy with both. Some online shops will even install the new lenses. LMK and I'll figure out which if interested. If you need bifocals, get the mask for distance and then get the plastic magnifier inserts for seeing gauges. Get the ones that you apply simply by wetting and drying. Do NOT fuss with the glass ones you put in with silicone. You will lose them after a dozen or two dives. I've also gone the custom route -- don't remember which I did, but obviously that's the way to get a perfect lens without inserts if you care. I'm perfectly happy.

 

[stuartv]

I have Seavision 2100 masks with gauge reader lenses (but no other correction). I really like them. I like the colored lenses and I like that they don't leak, where my previous Atomic Frameless mask always did leak a little bit on me.

Masks - SeaVisionUSA

I paid for my Seavision masks using my HSA (since they have corrective lenses), so I had no out of pocket cost. Because of that and having more money in my HSA than I need, I got 3 masks, one in each lens color.

Before the Seavision masks, I used Hydro-Tac stick-on reader lenses. $15 at Wal-mart. They work great. As long as you put them on and let them dry for 24 hours before you dive, they stay on indefinitely. If you don't let them dry thoroughly, they will come off when you dive and get them wet.

Hydrotac Stick-on Bifocal Lenses, 1.50 - Walmart.com

They come in many different powers. If the Atomic mask didn't leak on me, I'd probably still just be using it with the Hydro-Tacs. Well, that and if the SV masks didn't boil down to being, essentially, free.

 

[Chris_D]

I wear bifocals, and have tried the glue-in gauge readers on a set of drop-in corrective lenses. They didn't work because the inserts needed to be glued to a flat surface, and the inside of the lenses was beveled.

I also tried the hydro-tacs, which were better. But they had a tendency to slide around the inside of the mask in warm water. I lost one while rinsing a the mask out, which was the end of that experiment.

Single-vision contacts with a plain glass mask were OK. As the contacts were for distant vision, they ruined my close vision underwater. I also had to carry a pair of reading glasses to see anything close up between dives. The prescription for the reading glasses was different from my normal prescription because it had to compensate for the contact lenses. I didn't have a problem with lenses washing out in pool training or ocean dives, but some people do.

In the end I had a bifocal mask made by Leonard Maggiore Opticians in the United States. I went to my local dive shop,* found a mask that I liked, and then bought the mask from one of the large US retailers and had it drop shipped to Maggiore, who fitted the lenses and shipped the mask to me in Hong Kong. Total cost, about US$350. I was happy with the service and would use Maggiore again.

This isn't perfect—getting the transition point between the near and far parts of the lens in the right place is not easy—but it's the best solution that I've found so far.

LMK if you have questions

* I spent a bunch of money on other things that I needed to compensate the LDS for the use of their showroom.

 

[Captain Swoop]

For anyone in the UK try Diving - Divesight: precise-prescription diving masks and swimming goggles - Diving and prescription dive masks They add prescriptions to any mask you supply or will sell you a ready done mask.
As they grind to your prescription they will cover astigmatism.
I have their lenses in my mask..

Not the cheapest though

These do a range of universal inserts that will take prescription lenses and add them to a range of masks at a modest cost compared to Divesight Sports Eye Wear Direct | Prescription Sports Eyewear

 

[tep]

I'm a big fan of these folks. Welcome to Prescription Dive Masks 1-800-538-2878.

They've done multiple Rx masks for my family. They've been around 20? years and have a great reputation.

 

[BradMM]

Seavision seems to be over priced and Prescription Dive Masks offer "classic readers" so I don't know what strength they are. I bought some of the glue in diopters for a spare mask and let them sit but, when I went back 24 hours later, one of them had slid to the top of the mask! DOH! Haven't tried to pry it out yet but not very encouraged.

Also, I am curious about how the diopter strength underwater vs on land. Doesn't the water distort this?

 

[BradMM]

How about this one???

AMAZON

 

[TMHeimer]

nolatom's suggestion of that $80 mask sounds great. But he mentions stickers in the bottom glued on to read gauges. I guess that relates to his own situation. Kind of like me with the lasik cure but being old, still needing reading glasses to read. If you do need stick--ons for reading, I highly recommend ones with glue, not the $20 ones that stick on with hot water (I've lost two of those--and one in the POOL, which was unfindable). Rather than using stick-ons for reading, I just make sure the stuff I need to see has big enough numbers.
On a tangent, I doubt we have any better vision coverage here in Canada. Our private Blue Cross does cover like 75% of eye exams, but I don't think much for glasses, contacts (but am unsure). Doubt prescription masks would be covered, and if so the premiums would make just paying for the mask preferable. Just don't lose or scratch it.....