Prescription Mask Advice

[Kharon]

When I first started diving my dive shop sent my mask and my prescription from my eye doctor in. Custom lenses were made and they were fused to the original mask - fairly expensive. As luck would have about 6 dive trips after I dropped it on the floor of the liveaboard and it shattered. I did some shopping around and TUSA made a mask that fit extremely well and they had lenses you could buy and pop right in, my dive shop carried the mask and the lenses. I went this route because if my prescription changes I can just change one or both of the lenses without replacing the mask. Big bonus - much less expensive to go this route as well.

Doesn't work if you have astigmatism. Even less so if it's different eye to eye. I have no choice but to get custom lenses put in. For the perfect vision it provides it's worth the cost - and I coddle my mask.

Considering the cost of all the other equipment (regs, BC's/backplate-wing, etc.) the cost of custom lenses is quite a small percentage. It's your interface with the underwater world. I can't believe in skimping and seeing things less than perfectly clear.

 

[taimen]

I am planning on buying stock lenses at the moment as I am in country with no access to custom made lenses.

I would then use this calculator to choose stock lenses if you have your eyeglass prescription available.
Always round towards weaker power if you have minus lenses.

Deep Blue Gear | Optical Lens Calculator

 

[Bert van den Berg]

I use disposable contact lenses when diving. Works great.

 

[Rred]

If you have astigmatism, rx lenses may be necessary. Or the distortion may be perfectly tolerable in the underwater world for an hour.

Years ago, I had a local optometrist bond rx lenses in my mask. That epoxy is forever, nothing could get them to release so the mask was trashed. Until I dug up the prescription mask guys. They had absolutely no problem CUSTOM MAKING new plain tempered glass for my mask, and when you say "custom tempered glass?" everyone else runs like a vampire at a garlic festival.

Yes, someone should know how far in front of your face the lenses will be, to compensate. And if they don't ask for the interpupilary distance--they don't know glasses, go elsewhere. PDM seem to really have their act together.

If you really love the mask, you might also want to obtain an extra set of plain glass for it. Just in case your rx changes and you get stuck not being able to use the mask...because when only one shop in the country says they can make up tempered glass, that's all the eggs in one basket.

These days I use contacts, and I tell the guys on the boat "If you're waving and I don't respond, don't worry, I just can't see ****."

 

[Bert van den Berg]

I wear one close-up contact lens and one distance contact lens. That way it is possible to see both the little stuff (like my dive computer readout) and the guys on the boat waving at me.

 

[Rred]

The eye docs call that "monovision", correcting each eye to be used separately.

 

[Peter Perkins]

A bit late to the party but wanted to chime in.

I have very high myopia and astigmatism. When I started diving 6 years ago I bought the only thing available at the time... a Cressi Superocchio. Its more of a free diver mask but it was the only one taking corrective lenses so that was that...

Its not as accurate as my glasses obviously but its true that the water does make my vision 'better' even with a different 'prescription' (the lenses were available only at half points so I went for the nearest half point and no astigmatism option). I have little trouble in the water but I wonder if it could be better.

The advice I have always received is 'try a mask first to see if its a good fit' but the issue with that is that not all masks can take lenses right? So how can I 'order online' and have my optician check lenses if I cant first try?

I read here about Focus 2 and Big Eyes from Cressi but does anyone else know specific masks that do take lenses so I can then check those ones specifically?

Based in Europe (Poland) so not all American brands would be available.

 

[divinh]

A bit late to the party but wanted to chime in.

I have very high myopia and astigmatism. When I started diving 6 years ago I bought the only thing available at the time... a Cressi Superocchio. Its more of a free diver mask but it was the only one taking corrective lenses so that was that...

Its not as accurate as my glasses obviously but its true that the water does make my vision 'better' even with a different 'prescription' (the lenses were available only at half points so I went for the nearest half point and no astigmatism option). I have little trouble in the water but I wonder if it could be better.

The advice I have always received is 'try a mask first to see if its a good fit' but the issue with that is that not all masks can take lenses right? So how can I 'order online' and have my optician check lenses if I cant first try?

I read here about Focus 2 and Big Eyes from Cressi but does anyone else know specific masks that do take lenses so I can then check those ones specifically?

Based in Europe (Poland) so not all American brands would be available.

It seems some of the other posters have suggested companies that will custom make lenses for masks that don't normally have them. I suppose the only way to be sure that a mask will be configurable is to contact a company first with a link to the mask you're looking at? You'll probably want to inquire about a price too.

I recently installed Rx lenses into a Cressi Focus 2 with lenses easily found on Amazon (U.S.). The price came to $28 mask + $46 for two lenses. There's currently a company that will sell you the same mask with Rx lenses for a little cheaper, though they only appear to have the clear version of the mask.

In my own research, I found the Focus 2 to have the most availability for obtaining Rx lenses, so that's what I went with. Also, it seems that dive shops will have the Focus 2 in their rentals, which means a better chance for parts.

Cressi is based in Italy. You might find that there's even better support in Poland than in the U.S.

 

[taimen]

The advice I have always received is 'try a mask first to see if its a good fit' but the issue with that is that not all masks can take lenses right? So how can I 'order online' and have my optician check lenses if I cant first try?

1st: A skilled optician can make and glue custom prescription lenses to any mask that fits you. For high myopia, a mask that has reasonably small lens window and short distance between eye and glass is usually a good starting point. Many opticians all over the world do this. Local divers probably know if you have someone doing this in your area.

2nd: If you don't want lenses that are glued to the mask window, there are companies who make custom lenses that replace original mask windows, just like the stock prescription lenses that are sold in dive shops but with custom prescription including astigmatism. Mask choice will be limited, again large mask window and high myopia don't match.
Check Proteye in Netherlands, SeavisionUSA or Aquatic optics in the US.

3nd: If you just want to look for masks with stock prescription lenses available, you can browse manufacturer web pages and online stores for lenses and masks:
Some models to look at: Tusa Freedom CEOS, Aqualung Reveal X2 (has lenses down to -10 available!), Mares X-VU and many others. These models are btw usually good candidates for customs lenses.
For lenses there should not be much need for fitting. You can calculate the best matching stock lens from your eyeglass prescription, and that's it. Masks you can test for fit without prescription lenses.

Use this calculator for choosing the lenses.
Deep Blue Gear | Optical Lens Calculator

One good place to look for stock prescription lenses available to different masks:

Online dive shop, buy online diving, snorkeling & swimming equipment

 

[Peter Perkins]

It seems some of the other posters have suggested companies that will custom make lenses for masks that don't normally have them. I suppose the only way to be sure that a mask will be configurable is to contact a company first with a link to the mask you're looking at? You'll probably want to inquire about a price too.

I recently installed Rx lenses into a Cressi Focus 2 with lenses easily found on Amazon (U.S.). The price came to $28 mask + $46 for two lenses. There's currently a company that will sell you the same mask with Rx lenses for a little cheaper, though they only appear to have the clear version of the mask.

In my own research, I found the Focus 2 to have the most availability for obtaining Rx lenses, so that's what I went with. Also, it seems that dive shops will have the Focus 2 in their rentals, which means a better chance for parts.

Cressi is based in Italy. You might find that there's even better support in Poland than in the U.S.

I saw mention of Cressi Focus 2 before... I checked the Cressi website and I dont see any 'Focus 2'... I do see two version of the Focus mask (one with black silicon and one with clear silicon). Could you provide a link to what you refer to as Focus 2?

On a side note, I was told that 'clear silicon' is better for divers as it allows more light in... is that a thing or just 'hearsay'?