Mono Vision Contact Lenses

[spectrum]

I found the topic in a few old posts here and in the mask forum but not much feedback.

Right now I wear progressive eye glasses and find that I have several problems. First is that from the time I remove my glasses my eye's begin to strain, especially if I'm doing any thing that is close work at all like setting up and checking gear. Second is that I can't read my guages for beans. My general underwater vision is fine and last year my eyes were comfortable even when out snorkeling for 2 hours at a time. As soon as I got out of the water I couldn't get my glasses on quick enough though. My prescription has been stable for over 3 years.

Needless to say I need to take action and since I really want to be conforable on the surface a prescription mask won't do. If it were that simple all I'd really need is guage finders, either the bonded of vinyl stickies.

This morning I visited my optometrist for an eye exam and discussion about contacts. Due to some astigamtisim (sp?) I have bifocal contacts are not an option. This leaves regular contacts configured for monovision as my best option. We did discuss it in the context of diving. She seemed able to speak to the application but it didn't seem to be a specialty or an area of great experince for her.

Fortunately my left eye is the one indicated for near vision correction so my guages should be an easy read. I'll also want to favor my left wrist for the most demanding instruments I end up with.

I have samples coming and a "fitting" session scheduled. I'm looking for feedback on how well this soultion has worked for other divers. My mask has a single undivided front lense and it seems that would give the dominat distance eye the most unobstructed view.

Any comments, acclimation suggestions etcetera will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete

 

[Stirling]

That's exactly what I do now; it works very well for everything *except* reading gauges with my left eye, because I think we misjudged a little bit the correction required for the left eye. In every other way, it is very convenient - I can see when I take off my mask, I can see and wear cheap nonprescription sunglasses on the boat or beach, and I am using the wear once and throw away variety that cost about $1 a day, so I don't worry about losing one in the water (which hasn't happened yet).

The idea was that the right eye would be corrected for distance, and the left eye for near to mid distances, to allow me to read gauges up close with the left eye, and yet also "blend in" naturally with the correction in my right eye. In other words, if I got the left eye adjusted *just* for gauges and the right eye for distance, there would be a disorienting effect when I looked out ahead of me with both eyes. So the left was something of a compromise, and apparently we misjudged it (and when I say "we," of course I was the one providing the feedback after trying out a prescription for about a week).

Right now, I cannot read *exact* pressures on an SPG - I can see the 1000 and 2000 marks, and can judge pretty accurately where I am, but I can't really read it accurately. If the difference between 1100 and 1200 psi or any point in between was really critical (and if the SPG were that accurate), I couldn't call it that precisely. What is more bothersome to me is that I cannot read compass bearings precisely without some fiddling and uncertainty - again, it's not a problem just to swim out and back on opposite bearings, or anything as simple as that, but otherwise I wouldn't feel comfortable making very fine distinctions between bearings without stopping to check *very* carefully, because I cannot read a compass precisely on the fly. With my vision where it is right now, I was just thinking that I wouldn't even consider using some computers or gauges whose advantage is supposed to be their small size; I'll have to either get my vision adjusted slightly, or I may be in the market for gauges and a computer with a larger readout (e.g., the DiveRite SPG with the larger face instead of my current SPG). I'm also looking at a Suunto SK7 compass because it has a larger face and allows more tilt (which I may need to read it).

Right now, I am assuming that I *can* get my vision adjusted slightly to produce a better result, and I probably will when I use up my current (90 day) supply later this year. My bottom line is that I think this is a good solution - even if what I just wrote doesn't sound like it - but you really have to get the correction right.

 

[spectrum]

I wanted to come back with an update. I tried going the monovision contact lense route so I could be corrected UW and topside. When they worked they were great. Due to my astigmatisim my lenses were weighted and needed to rest with a certain orientation. I found that they would not remain in positon or in focus. Upon examining the optomotrist confirmed that when I'd blink the lenses would spin like saucers and go a quarter turn one way or another. This persisted even after trying several sizes/brands.

Upon fiurther exam she determined that I had tight eyelids that caused the disturbance of the lenses.

Game over, ordered bifocal mask lenses today.

Pete