Diving with contact lenses

[Hoyden]

I have worn monthly and then daily contacts while diving for over 40 years. I have now multi-focus lenses and they work great. I have never had issues with them coming out while diving, but many years ago, I was doing some training that required that I do a lot of no mask work while in the water. I needed to be able to open my eyes and was paranoid about loosing a lens so I talked my optometrist into selling me some daily wear lenses that were larger in diameter than my typical prescription on the premise that they would be less likely to wash out inadvertently. I used them for the training and used each lens once and then discarded them as I was not happy about the potential for infection due to contaminated lenses. I never had any issues with them washing out so maybe it worked? If you are having repeated problems with your lenses coming out, it might be worth trying a larger diameter lens.

YMMV,

Jackie

 

[Storker]

I gave up on multifocals quite a few years ago. First time I tried them I thought they were the bee's knees, the wasp's nipples. Not so much anymore.

These days I wear bivision contacts when diving, the left lens having +1.5 diopter against my distance vision. It sucks, but it sucks less than not being able to read my PDC and less than the multifocal contacts I once loved.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Since I started using a dive computer I found that I need a little help reading some of the fine print. After trying a few things I've settled on taking the lenses out of some old reading glasses (2.5 for me) and figuring out just where on my mask it should be located, and then grinding it with a Dremel tool sanding drum so it fits just right. I glue it on (inside the mask) with Liquid Nails Clear Seal. I just put a glob on the lens (parabolic side) and stick in on the glass in the pre-determined spot and let it dry for two days. Any excess can be trimmed off with an X-Acto knife after it dries and residue cleaned off with some alcohol. I only need one in my mask--for me the left side works best. There may be a small bubble or two left in the Clear Seal but that doesn't seem to interfere with reading my gauges. Any other clear adhesive that I've tried was not clear enough once it dried (including Aqua-Seal).

Fo course none of this will help with your distance vision

 

[David Novo]

I always dive with monthly contact lenses, cleaning the mask with diluted baby shampoo or spit. Never had any issue...