Do I Really Need a Prescription Mask?

[Kaatje]

This was what I was looking for, the UW correction. It seems that it only applies to farsighted people. So in my case where my presription is mild and nearsighted (sphere = -1.0 and -1.75 and cylinder = -1.0) I would not benefit from the UW correction of -1.0. I actually may get worse since I my new value would be -2 and -2.75.

The other issue I have is if I have contacts in I need to wear reading glasses to read a watch or guages. Having a full mask prescription lens would result in needing to

Thanks for the feedback!

If done correctly, that is by someone who knows what they are doing, you give them the information about your correction as is (glasses, contacts) plus extra info like combing your mask with contacts and they can tell you exactly what you need. Here in Holland all diveshops sent everything to a specialist company (proteye).
I have bifocal -3,75 and +3 but the cylinder -1 is left out since there is no need in a diving mask.
Best advise? Find out if you need prescription glasses simply by diving and looking around and at your instruments. If you do need them find somebody who knows what he is talking about.

 

[Mike126]

Kaatje - thanks. Mostly the diving I do is in quarries where 10 - 20 feet vis is the norm and there is not much to see so I really have not been too concerned about distance vision. Over the winter I did a few pool dives and have started to notice my distance vision beyond 10 - 15 feet is not what it use to be.... At the end of June we are taking a family trip to Turks and Caicos so I was trying to get ready for that and thought it would probably make sense to do some form of vision correction. Since I've never been a big fan of contacts and even if I did wear them I would still need bifocals I thought the bonded lens route (see over lens where the bottom portion is non-prescription) would be my best option.

I was probably going to use rxdivemask.com here in the States.

Mike

 

[Kaatje]

Now I understand. You are just nearsighted and afraid you need something extra with prescription mask to read your instruments. a mask where just the top part is prescription ishould be right for you. And if you need -2.75 you will benefit from it. I dive in the Netherlands and a vis of 10 feet is a good day. But somehow it just helps to have a correction. If you do not normally use contacts don't do so just for diving. Aspecially if you don't like the idea. Stick on lenses for your mask don't work. I lost a number of them and so have my buddies. But if you get a prescription mask with just a correction for nearsighted the company should know the bottom part is normal see through. You can skip the cylinder and you can probably use your own mask. Like I said I do not know prices in $ but here that would be well under $ 100,= and well worth the money.

 

[diver 85]

Take the sphero-equivalent power & go with that.....could also be fit with spherical CTLs, according to your new RX :
OD -1.50 DS
OS -2.25 DS

You should be fine either way....

 

[merxlin]

I too have a hard time finding a mask that I like and fits me well. I had lasik 15 years ago to correct nearsightedness and astigmatism, but it only made my vision better, not perfect. I also had it done in my late forties, so as I aged the need for readers above water grew. I had prescription readers put in my Atomic Frameless and am very happy I did. I've had them since 2007 and the mask and lenses have made over 400 dives with no issues. For me it was worth the extra cost to have the lenses bonded to a good well fitting mask. I used these guys: Welcome to Prescription Dive Masks 1-800-538-2878.

 

[Pearlman]

Ok after being averse to contacts all these years, I am shopping for my first set of contacts this weekend. So I'd like to understand - one can surface from a dive ( or repeat dives), keep the same contacts on till bed time, wear the same pair again the next morning and again everyday - until the prescribed 30 day period is done and they are good to throw? All this without risk of infection? Or is it recomended to dispose them at the end of each dive day? Or after the last dive of the vacation?

Thanks

 

[NAM001]

QUESTIONS LIKE THIS ARE ALWAYS HARD TO ANSWER BECAUSE ALL THE MEDical INFO iS NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU. Opps. The simple/statistical answer for you is YES, Use them and when you are done diving toss them. Thats what i do when i wear them. I normally dont take them out for the night, but i hate putting them in and out. takes me 1/2 hour to do it or 30 seconds, what ever my patience level creates for the day. Remember you only need one but i find since i dont wear them often my eyes itch and i soemimes rub my eyes and loose a contact so i shoot for two lenses and settle for one if i cant get the other in.
Granted there is a difference in open ocean diving and river diving when it comes to risk of infections.

Ok after being averse to contacts all these years, I am shopping for my first set of contacts this weekend. So I'd like to understand - one can surface from a dive ( or repeat dives), keep the same contacts on till bed time, wear the same pair again the next morning and again everyday - until the prescribed 30 day period is done and they are good to throw? All this without risk of infection? Or is it recomended to dispose them at the end of each dive day? Or after the last dive of the vacation?

Thanks

 

[mathauck0814]

Ok after being averse to contacts all these years, I am shopping for my first set of contacts this weekend. So I'd like to understand - one can surface from a dive ( or repeat dives), keep the same contacts on till bed time, wear the same pair again the next morning and again everyday - until the prescribed 30 day period is done and they are good to throw? All this without risk of infection? Or is it recomended to dispose them at the end of each dive day? Or after the last dive of the vacation?

Thanks

I'm no eye doctor, but I do exactly as you're stating with contacts. I treat them as though I'm not wearing anything until they start to irritate me (which sometimes is longer than 30 days) and then I change them. We dive a LOT. I also teach frequently enough, so my mask is off all the time. Never had any issues.

 

[Kaatje]

It just depends on the kind of contacts you buy. Some you can just use during the day, clean and put away for the night, others are wear day and night and trow away at the end of there use (day, week, month). Just ask when you buy.

 

[diverjen]

My hubby wears glasses year round but buys a 30 pack of daily lenses for scuba diving. Then he tosses them after we are done diving for the day. I wear the two week ones and toss them after the trip or if I feel they are irritating me. Our eye doctor said this was fine. My snorkeler FIL keeps shelling out for the prescription masks and they keep shattering. It's happened like three separate times on three different trips and he is a camera guy who is uber careful with his stuff. It sucks because the rest of the trip he has to either not see or try wedging his old backup glasses into his mask, which is miserable. He is thinking of trying daily lenses for a backup to his rx mask on the next trip.