Help for older eyes needed

[Saboteur]

8 or 9 years ago I finally went all the way and got B&L Crystalens AO Lenses inserted into my eyes. 3 months later, I had Lasik done to remove the 3.5 doipters of astigmatism that were left over. Now my vision is rated at 115% of perfect, I can focus as close as 20cm, and everything is in focus. Won't ever get cataracts either. If for some unforseen reason my eyesight degrades below 100% (20/20) I've been promised free livetime corrective surgery.

The Crystalens IOL is an intraocular lens that is focused by the normal muscles in your eye. After each operation I avoided diving for a month (following the reccomendations for avoiding contact sports like boxing) and was doing 100m Dives within 6 weeks after the operations.

Wasn't cheap, but it was the best money I ever spent on myself (and that includes the 120K$ of dive gear I own).
Now at almost 62, I'm still able to thread a needle, do soldering of SMD circuits, and see perfectly at all distances.

Practically every optical surgon can do cataract surgery, very few have the extra training in order to implant the B&L Crystalens, so it isn't cheap, but in my case it was worth both the price and the effort.

Michael

Sounds fantastic. Glad you had a great outcome. The surgeons skill is key on this procedure. A work acquintance had it done and it was botched. Can't be repositioned or removed without severe risk to vision. If anyone is thinking of doing this be sure the surgeon is very experienced with it.

 

[caruso]

that includes the 120K$ of dive gear I own

Gonna go out on a limb and wager that you don't pick up dive gear on Ebay.

 

[michael-fisch]

Gonna go out on a limb and wager that you don't pick up dive gear on Ebay.

A couple of good local dive shops do the maintainance that I can't do (and since I didn't buy it from them they get well paid for their work).
Purchases are either direct from the manufacturer (at a major discount) or off Ebay with Paypal or Craigslist & cohorts with cash.
Within the next 3 years I'll have to buy 2 new MTM Kallweit Drysuits (Local) to replace my older ones and a pair of SF Tech MTM Classic Drysuits (400km away) before I retire to northern Florida.
If I can get a good price for my (tuned to the max) SF2 I'll buy and crossover to a JJ.

Glad that I don't have to buy 1-2 pairs of lightweight bifocal high refraction index glasses every year, that frees up at least another thousand every year for diving.

 

[Chris_A]

I am in the same boat as I need reading glasses and I do wear bifocals due to me have a two TBI's from Iraq and Afghanistan my vision is not what it used to be. I was thinking of just doing the what some of you have done and get the inserts but talking with the local dive shop they recommended I go with the prescription lenses in my mask. I have another annual eye appointment coming up so I will see if anything has changed and if I need a new prescription then I will take that and get something made for a new mask.

 

[caruso]

I need reading glasses and I do wear bifocals due to me have a two TBI's from Iraq and Afghanistan .

You aren't wearing bifocals and reading glasses because of two TBIs from Iraq and Afghanistan.

You're wearing bifocals and reading glasses because you're old.

 

[Chris_A]

You aren't wearing bifocals and reading glasses because of two TBIs from Iraq and Afghanistan.

You're wearing bifocals and reading glasses because you're old.

Yeah well there that also.

The funny thing is I never had problems with my vision until that. I started having to wear glasses while I was still in but didn't need the reading glasses until about year ago.

 

[caruso]

I never had problems with my vision until that. I started having to wear glasses while I was still in but didn't need the reading glasses until about year ago.

Early to mid 40s for most of us. You did better than most, probably because you're a little myopic and it bought you more time.

 

[Chris_A]

Early to mid 40s for most of us. You did better than most, probably because you're a little myopic and it bought you more time.

Yeah I don't but I always ate all of my vegetables as well.

 

[Storker]

I've got two masks. One is without correction, that's the one I'm using when I'm wearing contacts. To be able to read my computer and see my camera's viewfinder screen properly, I'm wearing monovision contacts. The right one corrects for distance vision, the left one corrects for close vision and is +1.5 diopters different from my distance correction. I get a mite seasick the first hour or so that I'm wearing them, but after that I'm fine. The other mask has prescription glasses for distance correction, and that's the one I'm using when I don't wear contacts. I've bough a cheap pair of stick-on correction lenses on Amazon, and they work well enough that I'm able to both read my computer and see my camera's viewfinder screen well enough to be able to compose my shot.

 

[caruso]

Yeah I don't

You don't what?