Contact Lenses

[terrydarc]

Hi,
This is a question for my son, who's a contact lens user. Both of us are going (to attempt) PADI cert at a Carib resort in a couple weeks. Seems to me there are various skills that require flooding or removing the mask that might be trouble for contact lens wearers. What to you guys do? He thinks he can squint and keep the (soft) lenses in.
Terry

 

[Ladydiver]

Hi Terry,

I also wear soft contacts, 2 week disposables in fact. When I did my certification I talked to the instructor and explained that I wear contacts. My instructor suggested that for the pool swim with no mask, that I not wear my lenses to that session as I would need to be able to open my eyes to see where I was going.

For the mask flood and clear portion of the class, he let me keep my eyes closed and when I had successfully cleared the mask, he would touch me on the forehead.

I made it through the class without losing a lens. In fact, I wear my lenses while diving, swimming, water skiing, just about everything I do.

Since I wear the disposable kind, I have gotten in the habit of keeping an extra set in my dive bag along with a travel sized bottle of saline solution. That way if I were to lose a lens, I would be able to replace it for the drive home and would not have to play blind man's bluff getting through traffic.

Good luck in your class.

Cheers,

 

[SubMariner]

Terry, Ladydiver has basically come up with all the answers... so I'll just elaborate a bit.

During my pre-skill briefing I usually ask my students if anyone wears contacts. If somone says "yes", I tell them they can keep their eyes closed while they perform any skill that requires them to either flood/clear a mask or completely remove it. After they have completed the skill and clear their mask completely of water, I will tap them on the shoulder. If they still have water in their mask, I will tap the front of the mask (you can feel that too).

Of course the u/w swim without the mask can be difficult if you have your eyes closed, so I advise them to remove their contact prior to that skill.

IOW, it's not a problem... just make sure that the Instructor is aware of that your son wears contacts.

~SubMariner~

 

[joewr]

Terrydarc(related to Joan?),

What kind of correction does your son have? I mentioned this on another thread: there are plastic lenses available that can be adhered to the lens of a dive mask. They work great, but do not, to my knowledge, correct for astigmatism, etc.--just for simple diopter corrections. They are available in many dive shops. If you have trouble finding them, I will ask around here.

If these work for your son, he could shed the contacts during dives...

Where in Southern Oregon? Near the coast?

Joewr

 

[DivingGal]

Like LadyDiver, I wear contact lens. During my classes, I informed the instructor that I wore lens, and was told - keep the eyes closed to do the skills. So with a bit of fun groping (he-he-he), I completed all the required skills. The no mask swim was accomplished with a swim buddy - me hanging on for dear life, praying I wasn't going for a longer than required swim....

Also like LadyD, I bring an extra set of lens just-in-case. To date, I've never needed them, but I'm sure the rest of the drivers out there appreciate my caution.

Good luck.

 

[Walter]

Been there, done that. I used to wear contacts and did all the things being mentioned, they work. Well, if I ever got water anywhere near my eyes, my lenses would leave, but other than that, they worked. The best solution is to get a mask with corrective lenses and not wear the lenses while diving. Well, that was the best solution prior to laser surgery.

WWW™

 

[rcohn]

What I've done for classes is to only wear one lens (I'm used to wearing one lens so no big deal). Then you just need to remember which eye to open underwater. So far I've opened the correct eye and had no problems.

Ralph

 

[scubaJC]

I wear contacts as well and just got my OW cert. I just told the instructore and she said to keep my eyes closed for the skills and to not wear them when I did the swim. I liked doing the skills with my eyes cosed. One the the guys in my class had problems with doing them with his eyes closed but I was very confertable with it. I was a Fire Fighter for 9 years so doing things in the dark was a natural.

 

[jiveturkey]

I've opened my eyes and swam underwater while wearing contacts and didn't lose them. If you open them just enough to see, they will probably stay in. If you're at the end of a contact cycle and are going to change them soon anyway, I'd just wear them in. If you lose them, just stick in another pair after you get out of the water. Ask your instructor if you can do the mask removals as the last skill.

 

[Wildbill]

I just removed my lenses for the pool classes 'cause you will need to see underwater without a mask. But what you have to keep in mind is that everything underwater is about 25% larger so when I did put my mask on without contacts I could actually see quite well. If your son does not have very high prescription he should do fine.

The instructor should not have a problem with keeping your eyes closed during flooding mask 'cause if you can do it with eyes closed you can do it with them opened, plus in a real time situation he would close them anyway.

Wildbill