Contacts vs. Perscription Mask

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

I agree that beginner divers may lose their contacts with mask clearing skills, but for the "experienced" diver I would clearly recommend contacts over prescription lenses.

I've been diving in contacts for almost 30 years and have never lost a contact. This includes "no mask" drills for technical diving training and "thousands" of mask clearing demonstration when teaching students. You just develop a sixth sense about closing your eyes.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[D_B]

Very nearsighted (-6) use contacts while diving, no problems.
I am trying a little less power on my contacts that I use for diving, than my regular prescription is, just so I can more easily see close up with them on

DB

 

[geggle165]

I dive with contacts, ... actually just one contact. That way I have monovision. I can see well far and see quite well up close. For us ancient mariners this is a solution for the "one or the other" syndrome. One contact is actually much more of a distraction above water, but you get used to it quickly and by the end of the day you hadly even notice the difference. The brain is a wonderful tool. It adapts quite easily. this solution is not as good as having a 20 year-old's eyes, but it's not as bad as it might seem either

 

[mstevens]

Which would you rather do and why? I was just ruled out as a candidate for Lasik surgery so it looks like I will be in corrective lenses for good. So far I've been diving with my contacts without incident and it looks to me like this may be the way to go. Any reasons why this wouldn't be the case? Only ones I can think of are losing a contact if the mask floods and more prone to infection. The latter I came across in a contact brochure the said this is why you shouldn't swim in them. Thanks for any and all replies!

I've got Pellucid Marginal Degeneration (basically keratoconus with a de-centered cone, which makes for very extreme astigmatism). This means spectacle (or mask) lenses work very poorly for me because they don't move with my eyes and cause marked "funhouse mirror" distortions. It also means I wear 3 contact lenses, one in the right eye and two in the left. The outer lens is a very large, very expensive, custom, rigid gas-permeable lens that rides piggyback on a soft disposable lens. I'm VERY interested in avoiding infections and in not losing that expensive lens, but I always dive with my contacts. There's little point in diving without maximizing your chances of seeing!

I've dived in contacts for over 25 years and never lost a lens diving (or lifeguarding or teaching swimming without goggles, for that matter). The infection issue is that pathogen-bearing water can get under a lens where tear flow is reduced and pathogens may not be washed away as readily. I would not wear contacts in water I wouldn't use to rinse my mouth (such as pond, stream, or river water). For most contact-wearers using disposable lenses, the risk of losing a lens is trivial compared with the benefits.

 

[JonKranhouse]

The HydroOptix Double-Dome mask automatically corrects for a range of nearsighted vision. Unlike all flat Rx masks, dome optics create a variable power once submerged. The real benefit is a field-of-view almost 5X greater vs. conventional flat masks. Over 650 divers with 20/20 distance vision are actually wearing contacts to become temporarily nearsighted in air – because their underwater vision is so much better. The Magic Bifocal effect is great for older divers.

Apologies for anyone taking offense at this shameless plug for my company's product. Our marketing budget is limited – I’d rather put the $ into new products. We depend very much upon positive word of mouth. We do not recommend our mask to new divers who are not a “Naked-Eye Match.” First learn to dive, then learn to wear contact lenses.

EYE HEALTH WARNING:
Wearing contacts for diving is perfectly safe -- IF YOU REMOVE THEM RIGHT AFTER DIVING. Your risk of eye infection occurs because contact lenses trap bacteria, found in water, against your cornea. Neither your natural tears nor eye drops can flush out the tiny beasties (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acanthamoeba). SWITCH TO YOUR EYEGLASSES AS SOON AS YOU’RE DONE WITH THE DAY’S LAST DIVE. Wearing extended wear lenses overnight increases your risk 10X. 1-day disposable contacts are best. If you must disinfect (re-use) your lenses, only two cleaning solutions get a thumbs-up from eye docs. Soak for 7+ hours in peroxide or Opti-Free Express. Heat disinfection does NOT kill the beasties!

Over 1,000 eye doctors around the world endorse our paradigm of wearing contacts to see 5X more while diving. This chart shows if you are in the “Naked-Eye Zone” http://hydrooptix.com/ml45_chart.htm

 

[ProfessorAronnax]

Switched from script mask to contacts and love them- I can even find my way back to the car now!