dschulte
Contributor
Check into Lasik, the price has come down a lot. I wore contacts for 17 years, basically what I spend on contacts and glasses in 4 years was equal to the cost of the Lasik procedure.
Contacts Or Optical Lens Mask???????????
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Daner
Contributor
If you already wear contacts then use them for diving. I use daily disposable lenses and I have lost one contact in 35 dives. Since they are are dailies it is no big deal. I am not sure I buy into the 'through them out after you dive' stuff. I use my dailies until they rip or I lose them. I use the cleaners and solutions for standard permenant contacts. I haven't had any problems yet.
Keep a few extra lenses in your save a dive kit and you are good to go. Wearing your mask on the boat is not fun and either is not being able to see. Sure you can have glasses waiting on the boat but with tanks and equipment being thrown around I wouldn't want them to get broken.
Keep a few extra lenses in your save a dive kit and you are good to go. Wearing your mask on the boat is not fun and either is not being able to see. Sure you can have glasses waiting on the boat but with tanks and equipment being thrown around I wouldn't want them to get broken.
50 dives with my contacts and haven't lost any. I wear monthly and don't change them because of diving. Never had any eye infections since I started diving - albiet that was only 15 months ago. Had a pair go through a week long liveaboard no sweat.
Of course I take mine out every night and rinse them well and store them overnight.
Of course I take mine out every night and rinse them well and store them overnight.
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Eye infections are nasty and can't always be cured before causing permanent damage.
I replace my daily contacts for the same reason a surgeon replaces his gloves between patients. It might be OK to clean and reuse what he has, but it might not, and the cost of guesing wrong is way more than the $1 or so that the lenses cost.
Lots of people get lots of extra time reusing disposables, however some get infections and and some go blind. For a buck, I'll stay on the safe side.
Terry
I replace my daily contacts for the same reason a surgeon replaces his gloves between patients. It might be OK to clean and reuse what he has, but it might not, and the cost of guesing wrong is way more than the $1 or so that the lenses cost.
Lots of people get lots of extra time reusing disposables, however some get infections and and some go blind. For a buck, I'll stay on the safe side.
Terry
Daner:
CheddarChick
Contributor
I wore contacts for YEARS!!! Disposables are the way if you don't want to go lasik. I just had my Lasik done on friday and am amazed!!!!!!! Best thing I ever did!!!!
We have a couple options here. 1) Body glove makes a mask that is premade with prescription. they have mild, medium and severe prescripsions. the only problem is that they must have equal or almost equal eye problems. these work for most people. the price for these are 59.99.
2) the aeris look mask has removable lenses. we can put in your specific prescription very easily. the cost for the mask is 49.99 and the lenses are 25 $ each. total is 100 dollars.
3)Others masks including the mares x-vision masks can be bought and the prescription ordered by you or your local eye doctor.
2) the aeris look mask has removable lenses. we can put in your specific prescription very easily. the cost for the mask is 49.99 and the lenses are 25 $ each. total is 100 dollars.
3)Others masks including the mares x-vision masks can be bought and the prescription ordered by you or your local eye doctor.
MuscleBob.Buffpants
Registered
Both my wife and I are shortsighted. She wears contacts but I find that I don't need them to see well underwater, guess the whole 30% larger and closer thing that water does helps me see better.
nagel
Contributor
Funny you ask, I seem to have this conversation all the time - I wear contacts and never have had a problem and never lost one. I do take them out every night and clean them and typically discard once a month. I've even been known to wear them while swimming in a pool, never have had a problem and no eye infections. But, as many have said, eye infections are nothing the poo about. They can be very serious, that is why I make sure I take mine out and clean them every night. I know two dive buddies - one wears glasses and during a dive he takes his glasses off, stores them in his BC pocket and when he surfaces, puts the glasses back on. Not really sure how "blind" he is, but this works for him. Another guy has the prescription mask and swears by it. In fact he tried several brands and finally found one he just loves - sorry not sure what brand it is.
My input is that it really is a personal decision. If I where in your shoes, I'd order a trial pair of contacts (disposable) and if it works great. If not I'd try the prescription goggles. Why dive if you can't see!!
S. Nagel
My input is that it really is a personal decision. If I where in your shoes, I'd order a trial pair of contacts (disposable) and if it works great. If not I'd try the prescription goggles. Why dive if you can't see!!
S. Nagel
bperrybap
Contributor
Since you say "Dont Know If I Should Get Contacts", I'm
assuming that you are not currently wearing contacts.
If you haven't worn contacts before you may want to try
wearing them for a while to get used to them prior to your
class.
If you only need correction to see up close, you can get
inexpensive inserts that can be stuck onto the inside of any mask.
I definitely wouldn't mess with contacts just for that.
Keep in mind that if you have a severe astigmatism it will be
more expensive regardless of whether you go with contacts or a
corrective mask.
If your astigmatism is slight, you may choose to not correct
for it and save money (I don't correct for mine in my contacts).
It really does depend on your perscription.
For example, if you need astigmatism correction, you will need
special toric contact lenses that have weights in them to keep
them oriented properly.
These cost more than simple correction lenses - sometimes quite a bit more.
I've never used a toric lens but, I'd be worried that they might not work as well in certain orientations, since toric lenses
are designed to work when your feet are pointing down
and thats not a normal diving position.
I'm upsidedown (head down, feet up) quit a bit
taking photos or sideways
(head and feet level with one shoulder down)
while swimming along a reef wall.
As far as masks go, their are a few options
"off the shelf" lenses or full custom.
With full custom, you get the lenses ground to match
your exact perscription. You can get whatever you want/need
including astigmatism correction or reading glass correction.
For off the shelf lenses, most manufactures only make
lenses for near sighted people (people that can only see
up close and can't see far away without correction)
in negative diopters. Some make off the shelf
positive diopter lenses for far sighted people.
The values are typically from around -1.5 to +4.0
in half step (0.5) increments.
Me,
I've worn contacts for over 30 years,
but I dive in a perscription mask.
I'm very near sighted so I went with a mask and
off the shelf lenses @ $25/each. Total cost of about $100.
I like not having to worry about every losing a contact or
having sore or irratated eyes due to contacts.
It is a pain to walk around a bit blind just before and
after putting the mask on. Shore diving really sucks because
there may be a long walk and I either have to wear the glasses
and then hide them at the shore, wear the mask or walk blind.
I do take my contacts with me on dive trips but often never
wear them. They are there in case I lose/break my perscription
mask and have to use a different mask.
--- bill
assuming that you are not currently wearing contacts.
If you haven't worn contacts before you may want to try
wearing them for a while to get used to them prior to your
class.
If you only need correction to see up close, you can get
inexpensive inserts that can be stuck onto the inside of any mask.
I definitely wouldn't mess with contacts just for that.
Keep in mind that if you have a severe astigmatism it will be
more expensive regardless of whether you go with contacts or a
corrective mask.
If your astigmatism is slight, you may choose to not correct
for it and save money (I don't correct for mine in my contacts).
It really does depend on your perscription.
For example, if you need astigmatism correction, you will need
special toric contact lenses that have weights in them to keep
them oriented properly.
These cost more than simple correction lenses - sometimes quite a bit more.
I've never used a toric lens but, I'd be worried that they might not work as well in certain orientations, since toric lenses
are designed to work when your feet are pointing down
and thats not a normal diving position.
I'm upsidedown (head down, feet up) quit a bit
taking photos or sideways
(head and feet level with one shoulder down)
while swimming along a reef wall.
As far as masks go, their are a few options
"off the shelf" lenses or full custom.
With full custom, you get the lenses ground to match
your exact perscription. You can get whatever you want/need
including astigmatism correction or reading glass correction.
For off the shelf lenses, most manufactures only make
lenses for near sighted people (people that can only see
up close and can't see far away without correction)
in negative diopters. Some make off the shelf
positive diopter lenses for far sighted people.
The values are typically from around -1.5 to +4.0
in half step (0.5) increments.
Me,
I've worn contacts for over 30 years,
but I dive in a perscription mask.
I'm very near sighted so I went with a mask and
off the shelf lenses @ $25/each. Total cost of about $100.
I like not having to worry about every losing a contact or
having sore or irratated eyes due to contacts.
It is a pain to walk around a bit blind just before and
after putting the mask on. Shore diving really sucks because
there may be a long walk and I either have to wear the glasses
and then hide them at the shore, wear the mask or walk blind.
I do take my contacts with me on dive trips but often never
wear them. They are there in case I lose/break my perscription
mask and have to use a different mask.
--- bill
tracy_from_oz
Contributor
I use contacts but when I started diving 14 years ago I used a corrective mask. I can still use that mask and see fantastic underwater even with my eyes changing slightly over the years, but now I prefer contacts but I always take my corrective mask with me and leave it in my gear bag just in case.
I just make sure when I come home I clean my lenses but I have not found any problems with the contacts.
I use the 30 day live in disposable ones, and find them a lot easier in life. They are the Purevision ones by Bausch and Lomb that are sold here in Australia. You basically live in them day/night for 30 days and then throw them away. Of course you can take them out anytime you want and put them back in. They are made of a ploymer that supplies more O2 to the eyes then normal lenses. There alot more expensive too, $100-200 dollars every three months - whatever the health care company gives you. Mine are more expensive end as i have stigmatisms in both eyes and all that jazz.
These also seem to becoming more popular down here as well.
I just make sure when I come home I clean my lenses but I have not found any problems with the contacts.
I use the 30 day live in disposable ones, and find them a lot easier in life. They are the Purevision ones by Bausch and Lomb that are sold here in Australia. You basically live in them day/night for 30 days and then throw them away. Of course you can take them out anytime you want and put them back in. They are made of a ploymer that supplies more O2 to the eyes then normal lenses. There alot more expensive too, $100-200 dollars every three months - whatever the health care company gives you. Mine are more expensive end as i have stigmatisms in both eyes and all that jazz.
These also seem to becoming more popular down here as well.
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