add ons to mask for better vision

[amoses]

As I get older, my eyes get worse. I have reading glasses now, and I find that when I dive I have a hard time reading my gauges. There is a product called Aqua DiveOptx Flexible Mask Magnifiers and I was wondering if anyone has any experience using them. I have heard they will come off the mask, but others say that is because they were not installed correctly. Those that have them work swear by them. Does anyone on this forum have experience with them? Or other suggestions, besides getting corrective lenses installed?

 

[TONY CHANEY]

check other threads but check out Fusion guage reader mask. Love mine.

 

[garydemos]

I need bifocals and I had the main lens on my mask replaced with an off-the-shelf corrected lens - that worked fine for distance vision. I bought the add-on bifocal lenses that you install with *water* and that did not work too well. I lost one of them and lost confidence in that whole idea. What would i do out on a dive if I lost the other and couldn't read my gauges? Not worth the risk - so I ordered a custom bifocal mask from Seavision Prescription Scuba Diving Masks - Snorkeling Masks - SeaVisionUSA. I can't say enough about how helpful they were and how delighted I am with the mask. I got my prescription from my eye doc and sent it to them. In two weeks I had the mask and at first I was concerned because when I put it on in air the bifocal portion seemed way over-magnified, but in the water they are perfect! I no longer need to worry about losing any lose parts. Well worth the $190.

 

[oldschool]

I wear bifocals all the time now and have used dive-optix in my masks for several years. They work perfectly for me.

 

[TSandM]

I tried the Dive Optx in a couple of different masks and several times; with the exception of one which has remained in place for a long time, I lost them all. Since they are not at all cheap, by the time you have bought several sets, you have paid for a prescription mask.

Apparently somebody is making glass lenses you can glue in yourself using silicone cement. A student showed up with this the other day, and I am about to investigate it myself, having broken my custom mask the other day.

 

[merxlin]

Welcome to Prescription Dive Masks 1-800-538-2878. I like my Atomic with "readers" so much I had them make me a second one as a back up. I've had the primary for 5 years, and no issues at all with it. I lost too many sets of those "(Almost) self-adhesive lens that the custom mask has paid for itself. Plus you get to use the mask that fits you best, not just a mask that custom lenses fit into.

 

[Jax]

I tried the Dive Optx in a couple of different masks and several times; with the exception of one which has remained in place for a long time, I lost them all. Since they are not at all cheap, by the time you have bought several sets, you have paid for a prescription mask.

Apparently somebody is making glass lenses you can glue in yourself using silicone cement. A student showed up with this the other day, and I am about to investigate it myself, having broken my custom mask the other day.

Let us know, please?

Welcome to Prescription Dive Masks 1-800-538-2878. I like my Atomic with "readers" so much I had them make me a second one as a back up. I've had the primary for 5 years, and no issues at all with it. I lost too many sets of those "(Almost) self-adhesive lens that the custom mask has paid for itself. Plus you get to use the mask that fits you best, not just a mask that custom lenses fit into.

I got the +2.50 executive readers for $115 a mask, if I recalled correctly.

edit: If you want to know what they look like, click on my name and go to my profile. Those are the installed readers.

 

[Eastbayfe]

I tried the Dive Optx in a couple of different masks and several times; with the exception of one which has remained in place for a long time, I lost them all. Since they are not at all cheap, by the time you have bought several sets, you have paid for a prescription mask.

I've had occasional issues with the Dive Optx lenses as well so I've lost confidence in them. I just received the Sea Dive mask from Seaventure with +3 gauge readers. Looks like they might be the answer. Found them at Dive Gear Express. I think they were around $150.

 

[j2s]

I have a couple different Dive Optx Rx's that I've used over the years to find which works best....Once I found the best Rx. I sent my masks to Prescriptiondivemasks.com California, for permanent lenses.....If you're going to dive regularly get the permanent lenses and a back up mask...But there are other factors that may effect what you do....Bi-focal contacts, mono-vision contacts etc......

 

[DiveNewb]

I got the DiveOptx and put them in my mask while on a diving trip. I didn't have 24 hrs to let them dry before diving, and I think the mask was still a bit coated with antifog but I still didn't lose them - just ended up with bubbles under them. I also had them positioned really low in the mask so I could only use them for my gauges or when I craned my neck up.
So before the next dive trip I took the time to install them carefully and properly (with the 24hr drying time) smack in the middle of my straight-ahead vision. While they stayed in position fine and had no bubbles under them, I also found out they were too strong; they were perfect for gauges but anything past that was a blur, and having that in the middle of my sight field meant I missed all the turtles my wife saw.

So now I've purchased an additional set: the first ones were +2.25, and the new ones are +1.25. I installed the strong ones curved side down in the lower inside of my mask lenses so they work with anything at arms length or less. I put the weaker ones, flat side down, parallel to the first ones so that mid range - the stuff I'll be looking at most often - is closer to my central field of vision but left the top ~1/3rd of the mask for long distance stuff. I guess that all makes them trifocals. Haven't tried it yet but planing a pool test on the weekend.

While this is a fairly decent solution for a quick fix, as others have pointed out it isn't all that cheap. As I also have astigmatism I am planning on getting contact lenses. I understand that they are now available for reading AND astigmatism so I'll see how that goes.

Summary: I had no problem getting the expected results as long as the installation instructions are followed closely. Pay special attention to 1) clean mask, clean hands, I used Dawn. 2) get the correct (concave) side stuck to the glass. 3) make sure the position is perfect and exactly what you want. 4) let them dry 24 hrs. And, practice makes perfect.