Contact Lens

[cudachaser]

You can squint and they won't come out.

I always ask my classes if anyone is wearing contacts. I tell them either close their eyes or squint during the mask exercises. I also wear contacts and never lost a contact during my demos. I don't bother to change them out after diving either and never had an issue with infections and I have dove in some pretty yucky water at times.

 

[diverdown247]

True, there is no "technical" airspace between the eye and the lens, but lenses do come off, shift around, and such. When a lesn shifts, the water that could have come in contact with the eye (usually in a flooded mask situation) can leave residue between the lens and the eye. There has to be moisture between the lens and the eye or it shouldn't stick to the eye. (eye is moist, lens is moist, solution is moist, etc.)

It can happen, it's just rare. I think that's why my instructors simply educated people to the fact that it can happen, so they are aware of how to prevent an eye injury related to chlorine or salt water when wearing contacts. Just a very logical issue if you're a contact wearer and most are extremely thorough about caring for their lenses/eyes when diving.

 

[Spady]

I just wanted to put in my 2 cents.
I've had prescription lenses for my mask but I eventually found it to be easier to just use contacts. I've had my mask kicked off a few (2) times by other divers and haven't lost my contacts yet.

 

[Boat Chick]

I'm sort of giggling. I wore contacts the first couple years of diving but found that if my mask flooded, I usually lost a contact (even trying to keep my eyes closed). I also lost them in my first pool session so I didn't wear them for the pool classes after that. My eyes also became dry it seemed while diving. So I finally gave up and got a script mask and have to say I would not go back to contacts. My vision isn't so bad that I can't see without my glasses, so that isn't an issue. Different strokes for different folks I guess!

Good luck, and congratulations on your new venture!

 

[balance]

And out of curiosity, are there any known risks with LASIK and diving?

 

[HappyFunBoater]

AFAIK, there are no skills you need to demonstrate that require that you have your eyes open underwater with no mask.

Mr. Monkey makes a very good point. By the end of your training you should be competent to perform all skills in near-zero visibility water. (In otherwords you should be able to do everything with your eyes closed.) However there are two issues with that:

(1) Instructors should want you to open your eyes to prove that you don't have a fear issue. If you bolt for the surface the first time you get saltwater in your eyes then there's a problem. So hopefully you can explain to your instructor that you have contacts (if you chose to wear them), and it's not that you're afraid. Perhaps you could show him once, without the contacts, to prove that you're ok, then after that you can do everything with your eyes closed.

(2) Trying to find your buddy with your eyes closed could be a problem if your buddy isn't paying attention. But this wasn't part of my NAUI drills, so you should be ok.

Good luck!

TT

 

[Kevrumbo]

Unfortunately, I have a condition called Kerataconus --the surface of my corneas are not spherical like a basketball, but are shaped somewhat like cones. Needless to say I've got extreme astigmatism and am completely dependent on my hard toric lenses. And unfortunately again, because of my conehead corneas, the contact lenses don't fit as snug and have a tendency to pop-out at inopportune times (e.g. inside a wreck or cave, at 200' deep and starting the Deco ascent etc.:11: ).

Get a good low-volume nose purge mask, so if a contact pops out, you are able to still clear your mask by blowing out your nose into the purge valve and still retain the lens for recovery when you surface. Otherwise, if you clear the conventional way, the contact lens would float out and be lost.

Finally, work out a signal with your Buddy if you lose one or both lenses --I usually point to my affected eye(s) with my middle finger ("it's 'effed-up") and either signal okay ("I can deal with it") or thumb the dive.

 

[Daner]

Fortunately, I do not wear contacts, BUT....I did get certified in Cuba and logged 60+ dives there, some with contact wearers.

I was informed by my instructors that contacts are pool safe only(even that is iffy) and should never be worn in open water. Salt water is a corrosive and can damage the surface of the eye when it gets between the contact lens and the eye. If you let the salt water dry at all once it's trapped there, the salt will crystalize and can easily scratch and even cut the surface of the eye which can lead to nasty infections or worse. Chlorine in the pool can and most often will act much in the same manner as salt in salt water when it dries.

In fresh water, you have the issue of fresh water bacterias and contaminants getting between the lens and the eye. Granted there is less of a risk to eye damage in fresh water, but the problem still exists to a point.

These instructors always educated students to the issue, but also stated that if they were sure to rinse with fresh water and follow it by salene solutions (or simply take out the contacts) once out of the water, it shouldn't be a problem. They, as well as myself, realize that prescription lenses for masks aren't cheap and for some simply aren't practical.

Unless you some relavent expertise, why would you give advice on contacts if you don't wear them?

I have used daily disposible lens for diving in pool, salt water and fresh water. I have not had a problem. I only throw the lenses away when they rip so my dailies can last me up to a month even during the diving season. We have all heard stories of bacteria and other eye problems with contacts and diving but the funny thing is all the stories are second hand. I have never met a contact wearer/diver that has had any of these problems so I have come to the conclusion that these things never (or are extremely unlikely to) occur.

 

[HappyFunBoater]

And out of curiosity, are there any known risks with LASIK and diving?

My best friend is head of the quality and test group for one of the leading makers of eye laser surgery equipment, and he says that there is absolutely no issue after you've exceeded your healing time. In fact, he and my wife has had it done, and they LOVE IT. It has completely changed their underwater experience.

 

[Louma]

For medical “stuff” look to DAN:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.asp?faqid=88

From another thread on their website:

What are the best contact lenses to wear underwater?

Divers who wish to wear contact lenses while diving should ask their ophthalmologists or optometrists to prescribe "soft" contact lenses. "Hard" lenses or rigid gas-permeable lenses, the other two commonly prescribed types of lenses, have been found to sometimes cause symptoms of eye pain and blurred vision during and after dives, in which the diver accumulates a significant inert gas load. These symptoms occur as a result of gas bubbles forming between the cornea and the contact lens.

Or do a search on SB:
One example –

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=114517&highlight=contact+lenses

Lot's of good info out there!

Congrats on starting the first step to getting certified, but watch out, it's addicting!!

PS - the question about LASIK, answered by DAN:

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.asp?faqid=31