Contact lenses and diving -Questions Welcome - by Idocsteve

[giles45shop]

I am in need of some vision help. I am considering getting prescription lenses in my Compumask.

The issue is that I cant see the small text on my Vr3's at Deco, kinda important to do.

Are there bifocal contacts that are safe for scuba diving? Deepest I dive is 300 ft so the pressure is a little higher than normal scuba.

Would be greatful for some advice.

S

Get a Liquidvision X1

 

[idocsteve]

Are there bifocal contacts that are safe for scuba diving? Deepest I dive is 300 ft so the pressure is a little higher than normal scuba.

As far as I know, the pressure inside your mask doesn't change with the depth, if you equalize it. You oughta be fine at that depth with soft contact lenses, whether they're bifocal or single vision.

 

[idocsteve]

They use bromide in the pool, and during our OW course it felt bad enough on the eyes as it was. I don't think I want to take any chance of it possibly getting absorbed into the contact.

That's a reasonable concern.

 

[sablefish]

When contact lens solution says 'no rub', is it really 'no rub'?
Should i still take out continuous wear contacts at night?

A few years ago, my opthamologist recommended against lasik because of neovascularization of cornea. Are there other alternative procedures open to me?

Because of this thread I'll be sure to start seeing my eye doctor regularly now, thanks.

 

[idocsteve]

When contact lens solution says 'no rub', is it really 'no rub'?

Contact lenses that are cleaned with contact lens solutions that have been approved by the FDA to be labeled as "No Rub" should still be given a digital cleaning on a regular basis. The frequency will vary depending on many factors including the type of lens, the patients physiology and tendency to form deposits on the lenses, and how often the lenses are worn and if they're worn overnight.

Should i still take out continuous wear contacts at night?

Extended wear is a safe modality for many patients. Whether or not YOU should remove them at night is something that you need to discuss with your eyecare practitioner.

A few years ago, my opthamologist recommended against lasik because of neovascularization of cornea. Are there other alternative procedures open to me?

Why do you have corneal neovascularization? I can't remember the last time I had a patient who had corneal neovascularization for reasons other than poor contact lens compliance. If it's due to some sort of rare condition than I'd need to know what it is before giving you suggestions. If it IS due to poor contact lens compliance as I suspect, then I'd suggest you steer clear of contact lenses for obvious reasons, as well as any sort of invasive corneal surgery, at least until such time as the cause of the neovascularization is found and effectively treated if at all possible.

So the short answer is, "no", I have no other alternatives for you other than eyeglasses.

 

[PowerDude]

Reposted in this thread as request by Idocsteve
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My wife has horrible eyesight and with her normal contacts, she can not see the computer or compass. I have researched the possibility to have prescription lenses with bifocals and this is one option.

Before going this route, she had an eye exam to make sure the prescription was still okay. She asked the optometrist about the script lenses in the mask and his statement was that most people are not happy with prescription masks. He recommended a new contact lens where progressive (far, near and bifocal) can be included. I want my wife to feel the best in comfort underwater so this is one less thing she needs to not worry about.

Does anyone have experience with script mask versus these new progressive contact lenses?? Was the optometrist just trying to sell the new contacts or is the experience with the masks valid?

PowerDude

 

[idocsteve]

Reposted in this thread as request by Idocsteve

To clarify, I did not request that you post your question on this thread. I simply responded on your other thread and said that if you did post it here, I'd be happy to answer it. It's my goal to keep most of the commonly asked vision care questions in one central location so they're easy to find and I don't have to type the same long detailed answer more than once.

She asked the optometrist about the script lenses in the mask and his statement was that most people are not happy with prescription masks.

As I posted at the start of this thread, I don't deal with Rx masks in my office (I did many years ago), because divers send them directly to the companies, however I have read a lot about Rx masks here on ScubaBoard and as far as I can tell divers who use them are quite satisfied with them.

He recommended a new contact lens where progressive (far, near and bifocal) can be included.

Ciba Vision makes a contact lens that is a true "progressive" lens, it has a gradual change of distance to reading throughout the lens. Most, if not all other brands of contact lenses are distance and near, however an intermediate Rx effect is "induced". Regardless of lens design, most bifocal contact lens do offer some midrange power even if they're not labeled as a "progressive". My experience with the Ciba Progressive lens has been less than stellar, I've got a trial set in my office but I rarely use them.

Was the optometrist just trying to sell the new contacts or is the experience with the masks valid?

It's my feeling that the optometrist was trying to sell you contact lenses.

 

[Walter]

in undeveloped countries infant losses lower the average age expectancy significantly - but that's a different issue really, albeit somewhat related.

Actually, that is the issue. We do not live all that much longer than our ancestors in the days when average life expectancy was 30. With good medical care, we do live a tad longer, but the only really significant difference in lifespans of today and those of hundreds of years ago is a much lower infant mortality rate. I suspect if you compare only those who made it to adulthood, we may not be living quite as long as our ancestors.

 

[idocsteve]

We do not live all that much longer than our ancestors in the days when average life expectancy was 30. With good medical care, we do live a tad longer

We don't live much longer than the days when the average life expectancy was 30?

Average life expectancy in the US is about 77 years. That's quite a bit older than 30.

From HERE

During the Roman Empire, Romans had a approximate life expectancy of 22 to 25 years. In 1900, the world life expectancy was approximately 30 years and in 1985 it was about 62 years, just two years short of today's life expectancy.

 

[LI Diver]

Hey Doc do you have any info on the effect of medications on eyesight? I've been taking 5 mg of enalapril and 20mg of simvastatin for several years now and I've noticed that my eyes seem to be much more photosensitive than they were before. After a day on the water even with the best sunglasses my eyes burn and are blurry for days. To make matters worse I have a welding business and even though I haven't welded my self in years I am exposed to reflected or inadvertant flash from my workers despite every effort to avoid this. I notice that I get a mild case of flash burn from the smallest exposure where others are not bothered by it. have you any advice on this? Can it be the meds and if so are there others that I can switch to that tend to not promote these symptoms? Thanks