Mask and vision

[mbethveg]

I have a pretty bad astigmatism but I've always noticed that when I dive, I can see perfectly under water. I recently read that people with an astigmatism often notice improved vision because of the flat mask, or something like like that. Has anyone read or experienced anything like this?

 

[pescador775]

The mask/water interface is a magnifying lens. Also, there are very few straight lines underwater which may give the impression of reduced distortion.

 

[Wayward Son]

I have bad astigmatism too. I wear contacts to dive.

I'm 47, my contacts are for stereo distance vision. I can still read my gauges but just barely. I was in a spring 2 weeks ago & decided to try without my contacts.

What I found was that i could read my gauges fine. Everything reasonably close was OK. At any distance, not in focus. An example is the sign at the entrance of the cave, I was not that far away but couldn't read a word of it.

 

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

There are custom made masks available for people with astigmatism (seavision for one); the corrections available from LDS masks are for diopter correction only. Getting a prescription mask was the best thing I ever did, diving-wise. If you think you see well now, try getting a prescription mask. The difference is amazing (if you don't want to deal with contacts). The water mag does help, but you may still be missing a lot. These masks are so nice, and their expense not that much given the cost of all the other equipment, there really is no excuse for not seeing everything underwater as well as you do above water (or better). I consider it a safety issue, too. If you can't see your gauges or, if stranded on the surface, can't see a boat in the distance, that's a problem. A lot of people ignore the surface vision problem, i.e., they dive without correction and see fairly well underwater due to the refraction magnification, but are blind when above water with an uncorrected mask. They simply "deal with" the time from boat to water and back to boat without any correction. That can be bad, IMO.

There is another thread wherein a diver was stranded after a drift dive in Aruba but managed to see and hail a fishing boat in the distance. This is hard to do if you cannot see.

 

[spectrum]

The mask in the water effect is said to be good for about 1 diopter of correction. I have never heard about it's effect on astigmatism. Opticians here on the board have said that if you have cylinder correction greater than 1 you will benefit by having your script installed.

If you have good near and distance vision underwater that's a good deal however don't forget the surface. You want good vision when you surface in case you are signaling to shore or deciding which boat to swim to.:shocked2:

Having prescription overlays installed in your favorite mask will get you fully corrected and I bet you end your dives with your eyes feeling even better.

Pete

 

[ChrisA]

The flat mask has about the same effect as a pair of drug store reading glasses. Very close to the +1 reading glasses. These glasses will make everything look bigger and bigger is easier to read even if you still have no correction for other problems

 

[mbethveg]

Thanks so much for all the help!!!!