Contact lenses or corrective lenses?

[DA Aquamaster]

Appreciate the advice thank you.

DA Aquamaster, when you sound "ground" or "bonded" does this mean they can fit something into or onto my existing mask? Again this is all new to me so have zero understanding. Cheers.

You can probably find a local optometrist who can grind you a pair of lens to correct your near vision and bond them to the inner surface of your mask. The critical thing is to get the bonded on corrective lens or the corrective portion of a new lens placed properly in the mask so that you can look down in the mask and see through them, but still see over them when looking forward.

Otherwise, there are a couple of companies that will grind custom lenses for your mask itself, and again the location of the corrective portion of the lens is key.

There are also drop in replacement lenses available for masks but most of the ones you see in dive shops correct for distance vision, not near vision. You can get gauge reader lenses for some masks on-line, but they still have to be properly positioned so the lens lines up for you. By the time you get those measurements from your optometrist, it's easier just to have him make the lenses and not really any more expensive

 

[Shftrdog]

We are getting is some glue in cheeters. They will fit in any mask, we should have them in about 3 weeks, this is a much cheeper way.

 

[Kevrumbo]

I turned 40 a couple of years ago and like clock work my near sighted vision started to take a nose dive. I was diving yesterday and to my horror found I was having great difficulty reading my compass. Reading my computer has also been getting progressively more difficult, I've found I have to hold it out further and further from my eyes and have now run out of arm length.

Im not sure what the best course of action is, either to just wear contact lenses or get some corrective lenses. I wear an Atomic frameless in medium which I love but assume correcting lenses cannot be put into this mask. I was thinking maybe contact lenses would be the easiest but then got to wondering if it would be very easy to lose them if mixed with water. I note the Atomic Sub Frame comes in a medium and can be fitted with corrective lenses.

I saw an optometrist about 6 months ago who told me, and I quote, "your eyes are dying" he went onto say its an aging thing and will only get worse and said at some stage I would need glasses or contacts. I decided to wait until things got more noticeable, well as of yesterday it became more noticeable. I have no experience with glasses or contacts and diving so any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

Your eyes are not "dying" --it sounds just like Presbyopia ("old eyes") which everyone gets to a degree with age.

If you don't have additional astigmatic conditions then either soft disposable contacts, or mask mounted gauge reader prescription lenses should be viable solutions --you'll be fine!

 

[Tigerman]

I dive with disposable contacts and Im nearsighted and have astigmatisms. Works like a charm while diving, but I dont enjoy using them too much while working with computer screens.

 

[jimthediver]

I used lenses mounted in my mask and later contacts for years never had any problem with either. i had my vision surgically corrected about 20 years ago and for a long time I didn't need anything. However, as time has marched on my near vision has deteriorated while my distance vision has stayed good. I just use readers normally but when my vision deteriorated to the point I couldn't see the viewfinders on my underwater cameras or video well enough to focus I started looking for a solution. Ultimately I have gone to wearing a disposable contact with correction for reading in my right eye, +2.25 in my case, when I am on diving trips. I can see near perfectly for close work and distance. I had heard of people getting Lasik and having one eye done for distance and one for close. I always thought it would do weird things to my vision but your brain sorts it out. It works perfect for me!

Jim

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I have my bi focal script in my primary mask. Thinking of putting magnifiers lenses in one of my back ups just to see how that works.