Far Sighted - Corrective Lens or Laser?

[coralcruiser]

I have "old eyes" but they're not as bad as yours..... yet!

I wear a +3 focus daily in my left eye so I can read gauges, see my lcd, etc and wear a +1 progressive focus daily in my right eye so I can find the critters I want to take pics of and have been diving with contacts now for more than 7 years. I have never lost a contact while diving.... but I also dive with a purge mask and love doing so!!

 

[idocsteve]

I have "old eyes" but they're not as bad as yours..... yet!

I wear a +3 focus daily in my left eye so I can read gauges, see my lcd, etc and wear a +1 progressive focus daily in my right eye so I can find the critters I want to take pics of and have been diving with contacts now for more than 7 years. I have never lost a contact while diving.... but I also dive with a purge mask and love doing so!!

I am surprised at the number of divers who don't consider this option, or something similar. There are so many possibilities, as with coralcruiser, who uses a combination of a reading contact lens in one eye and a bifocal contact lens in the other. This favors near vision and that works for some, while others might want a distant contact lens in one eye, and a bifocal contact lens in the other, which gives clearer distance vision...yet another might do two bifocal contact lenses, another...monovision with one distance and one near lens. Some divers with perfect distant vision who cannot accommodate for near objects due to the natural aging process of the intraocular crystalline lens, can wear a reading lens in only one eye.

Today contacts are available in so many Rxs and materials, it's so rare to have a patient that "cannot wear them because it doesn't come in their Rx" or "their eyes are too dry", that it's simply amazing to me that divers would go to the trouble of having an expensive mask fabricated that won't give them anywhere near the peripheral vision that they would get with contacts. In addition to which there can be significant distortion and minification with these types of masks. They look sort of freaky too.

To each his or her own I guess.

 

[gummybun]

Firstly, thank you all!

Yeah but if they could figure it out they might not need us.
:cool2:

They look sort of freaky too.

Udocsteve isay u speak truth. Funny though as so much from your 'science' is freaky to start with but we learn to accept it. Man... you folks MADE Marylin Manson and so many others. As long as I don't scare the fish, I say, bring it on!

I see you position. I am in fact happy with my frankenlenses solution and I am lucky (I am told) to be one of those who it works for. Being new(er) to diving I tend to worry about the smaller things thinking that they might be bigger. Hearing that it is a rare thing to loose a lens corresponds with my experience. I tend to have a lens disappear over the top of my eyeball at breakfast more than during a dive. I have in fact never had a problem during a dive but I am trying to reduce risk (like your 'risk management' sign off - it's ok I'm from Canada - I can't come after you!) Ok, so I should chill a bit and not worry too much - till I have evidence that I need to.

Seems like good advice.

But in case I do, thanks to all those who put me on to PDM. I hadn't heard of 'em and, well, thats why SB is so great.

Thanks for all the feedback, in what, like one afternoon.....WOW!

 

[idocsteve]

Udocsteve isay u speak truth. Funny though as so much from your 'science' is freaky to start with but we learn to accept it. Man... you folks MADE Marylin Manson and so many others. As long as I don't scare the fish, I say, bring it on!

I see you position. I am in fact happy with my frankenlenses solution and I am lucky (I am told) to be one of those who it works for. Being new(er) to diving I tend to worry about the smaller things thinking that they might be bigger. Hearing that it is a rare thing to loose a lens corresponds with my experience. I tend to have a lens disappear over the top of my eyeball at breakfast more than during a dive. I have in fact never had a problem during a dive but I am trying to reduce risk (like your 'risk management' sign off - it's ok I'm from Canada - I can't come after you!) Ok, so I should chill a bit and not worry too much - till I have evidence that I need to.

Well said!







Translator to aisle 23 please

 

[gummybun]

Translator to aisle 23 please

What was that? Any particular part or the whole dang patutie?... my word...

 

[idocsteve]

What was that? Any particular part or the whole dang patutie?... my word...

I'm only interested in the part where you're not coming after me.

 

[gummybun]

... (you're probably close to or past 60 based on the bifocal Rx)...
Although I am a licensed NYS Eye Care professional this post is for entertainment purposes only, and is not to be taken as medical advice!

That last bit is classic "Risk Management" - but no need to include it as I am outside your "happy' litigation zone - i.e. Canada

I must say however, as for the first part, calling me close to 60... mmm thats not good risk management....


Point is... I liked what you said. I get it, and I'll give it a chew.

 

[idocsteve]

I must say however, as for the first part, calling me close to 60... mmm thats not good risk management....

If you're not close to 60, and by "not close to 60" I'm talking the shallow end of it, as in closer to 50 not 70..then you're over prescribed in your bifocals.

But I was right, wasn't I?

You're about 63.

No worries, my dad's 80 and still diving. You got time.

 

[RetMTFE]

I got contacts specifically for diving. Instead of going with a bifocal, my doc recommended a far lens in one eye and near in the other.
I haven't priced one but I will go out on a limb and guess that my contacts are a lot cheaper than a prescription mask. Also, I'm not "S.O.L." if I lose my mask on a trip.

 

[gummybun]

But I was right, wasn't I?

You're about 63.

Ouch! ouch! ouch! 63? I understand that in Japan it is polite to over-estimate a mans age, but you are being too polite sir ... like more than a decade too polite!
Funnily enough I am in for my eye checkup on Tuesday, I'll as my doctor how old my eyes are then, and see if she agrees. She had better not.

I doubt I am over prescribed, is I am suspicious by nature and I never have really 'bought into' all that nifty analog equipment opto's use ("which is clearer this, or this, or this,or this?" ... let me tell you) I get my prescription independently verified on a regular basis. No disrespect. Always seems to come up the same. (damn)

Maybe my shorthand description of my prescription gives the wrong impression.

I got contacts specifically for diving. Instead of going with a bifocal, my doc recommended a far lens in one eye and near in the other.
I haven't priced one but I will go out on a limb and guess that my contacts are a lot cheaper than a prescription mask.
FYI...I have never lost a lens diving.

Again, maybe my brief description of my prescription was not clear - but, yes, this is what I am doing now myself, and it works very well. I did this on my last dive vacation and I was shocked how well it worked. I didn't take the lenses out when I got back to shore, wore them all day, no problems - It is weird how adaptable the brain can be.

Anyway, now I can see my gauges! And they are actually quite useful! Who knew?

I was looking into a 'hardware' based solution as well, hence my question here. Probably started with noticing the Colour corrected RX masks for less than $200 at LP. But that was before I found out that I have 64 Year old eyes! LOL