Anyone used Vuity eye drops?

[mcpowell]

I need a little help with readers, as in occasionally I use 1.5 magnification glasses. My eye doc gave me some Vuity samples, but the price is prohibitive for daily use. I’m thinking the drops would be great for diving.

Has anyone used them?

 

[The Ruttmeister]

I have not, but I did discuss them with my opthalmologist during my laser eye pre-surgery checkups.
The side effects are not something I'm willing to risk, plus the way they actually work (by making the pupil contract) is going to make it harder to see in low light.
Given that most people who would need the drops are already needing more light (due to the type of lens degredation that leads to cataracts), this doesn't seem a great solution.

If you are comfortable using them, the best way to answer the question is to just go try!

 

[mcpowell]

If you are comfortable using them, the best way to answer the question is to just go try!

I did reach out to my eye doctor, who is also a friend, and he said they should be fine for diving. My son and I are going to do a shore dive the day before the boat diving starts. So I’ll try the drops for our shore dive. It should be a good test.

I’ll report back to this thread afterwards.

 

[mbs]

With 1.5 do you really need it for diving... I'm up to 2.0 now and never felt the need for help seeing gauges, etc... Also asked my eye doc about the drops. He said there is a very narrow segment of folks that they work for. Old guys like me, not so much He said he really wanted to love them, but was underwhelmed. Also at night they will be a problem so perhaps deep/low viz diving would not be a good idea? Interested to hear your report.

 

[mcpowell]

Just a little update, before I try diving with the drops.

The other night I used them so I could refresh my memory as to how they worked for me. For about the first 20 minutes, my eyes ached. Like when you’ve been in the dark and then you shine a flashlight in your eye, and the pupil is trying to get small, fast. Because that is exactly what the drops are doing. After 20 minutes the ache went away. I could see the print on my ipad much clearer, than before the drops. At about the 1 hour mark, my eyes were at their best/clearest. The room did seem darker, but not excessively.

Coincidentally, I was reading Aquanaut, by Rick Stanton and he mentioned his technique for seeing things close up when he forgets his glasses. He uses the “pinhole” effect, which I had heard of but never tried. Just make a little hole with your thumb and forefinger and look through it. IT WORKS!

Heck, I may just use the pinhole technique while diving and forget about the rest of the fixes.

 

[mcpowell]

Here are my findings:
1) Day 1 and 2 I used the drops about 30 minutes before my dive op picked me up. I never noticed the “ache” in my eyes noted in post #5. Just too much going on right before you start diving. I did notice the drops made my far off vision just a little funky. Some random “interference” looking areas. My close up vision was definitely better than without the drops. Both of these days were full sun.

2) Days 3 and 4 were both overcast and so I did not use the drops. I did not want to make the dive seem darker, which the drops will do. My dive computer on days 3 and 4 was just a little unclear, as you would expect with my slight farsightedness. Day 5 will also be overcast, so I do not think I’ll use the drops.

Essentially, as noted by mbs above, I don’t really need the drops to read my computer. They do make it easier. However, as my eyesight degrades over time (and we all know it will), I do think I’ll try using them before I start with the magnifiers in the mask.

 

[mbs]

Here are my findings:
1) Day 1 and 2 I used the drops about 30 minutes before my dive op picked me up. I never noticed the “ache” in my eyes noted in post #5. Just too much going on right before you start diving. I did notice the drops made my far off vision just a little funky. Some random “interference” looking areas. My close up vision was definitely better than without the drops. Both of these days were full sun.

2) Days 3 and 4 were both overcast and so I did not use the drops. I did not want to make the dive seem darker, which the drops will do. My dive computer on days 3 and 4 was just a little unclear, as you would expect with my slight farsightedness. Day 5 will also be overcast, so I do not think I’ll use the drops.

Essentially, as noted by mbs above, I don’t really need the drops to read my computer. They do make it easier. However, as my eyesight degrades over time (and we all know it will), I do think I’ll try using them before I start with the magnifiers in the mask.

On a positive note, my reading has just degraded to the point that my distance is now 20-20 My eye doc told me he soooo wanted these drops to be great, just finding it to be of limited use to limited people.

 

[GreggS]

My vision started degrading in my early forties. I work at the computer a lot and I noticed at times it wasn't clear enough unless there was bright sunshine coming thru the window behind me. As I got older, I found myself holding something I was reading farther away from my eyes. I used readers for a while but eventually had to go to progressive lens. In now in my mid 60s. I also have prescription bifocal lens in my dive mask. I can see distance under water with just a plain mask, but I couldn't read my computer if my life depended on it.

Oh, wait...