The eyes have it... or don't.

[Rick Inman]

Now that I'm 44 (oh, God. How did THAT happen?) my eyes keep getting worse which I easily correct with disposable contacts. However, when I have my contacts in, I need reading glasses to see up close.
Anyway, last night while in the pool doing a refesher course, I noticed that I had to hold the SPG as far away as the hose would allow to read it. And actually, I was more reconizing where the dial was rather than actually reading the numbers. There's no way I'm going to get a bi-focal mask (I love how the contacts dive). So here's the question:
What about sticking those small soft plastic magnifiers to the inside bottom of my mask (low volume)? Has anyone else tried this? I'm thinking that this might be a cheep way to solve this problem (other than inventing a time machine and going back to age 20 - God forbid!). I tried a search and couldn't find anything on this.
Thanks for your input! :blind:

 

[Diversauras]

I got bi-focal perscription lenses in my mask this past year and my ONLY regret is that I didn't do it years ago, probably around the time I turned 44...

 

[Lloyd]

Have your Dr. fit you for monovision where one eye is set for near vision and the other for distance. You should be able to do that with your present brand of lenses. You could also try bifocal CL, but you would need to be refit and they cost alittle more.
Lloyd

 

[HarleyDiver]

I just bought a pair of those stick on len's.
I will be trying them out next week in Key Largo.
I will post my results when I return 5/17.

 

[Goeduck]

I use those stick on magnifiers. They are actually little plastic lens designed to stick to the inside of sunglasses and turn them into "reading sunglasses". I also bought them at the local drug store instead of buying the expensive ones in the dive shop.

I only put one in, though, on the right side, because that is my dominant eye and so when I have to read something underwater, I move it to where it is in focus with my right eye. I found that by putting both of them in, they were too far apart to use both of them, like in reading glasses.

They seemed to work pretty well for me, but I did lose them once when rinsing out my mask and didn't realize it until I was underwater. So what I did was to use a super-glue like substance to glue the one to my mask. It is possible to remove the lens and, with careful scraping with a sharp object, clean the glue off the mask without damaging the mask. (I made a mistake on the first one I glued down. Good thing they come in pairs.)

 

[dugandiving]

Is there anything that can be put over the gauges or the computer to magnify that, rather than having to start messing around with the mask?

 

[SubMariner]

I too dove with contacts until I got to "bifocal age". Since then I've been quite happy with the bifocal lenses in my mask.

Frankly, the "stick on" lenses never worked properly for me.

~SubMariner~

 

[MgicTwnger]

I've been using the "expensive" stick-ons from the LDS for a couple of years with no problems (I've also reached the bifocal age). If you put them in a day or so before diving, they stay in place just fine. Also, seeing through both lenses at the same time has not been a problem.
I'm all for getting away as cheaply as possible, but I do think that there is a difference between the ones made specifically for diving, and the drug store variety.

 

[seaangel]

I wear a monovision lens and have absolutely no problems. Without my lens in though I don't have arms long enough to read. However, the numbers on most computers and digital readings are large enough to read without. I know this because I lost my lens once during OW cert dives during mask removal. Other than that I have made over 100 dives and only lost my lens once.

 

[mddolson]

I wear bifocals for everyday use.
I wear corrective lenses in my mask.
This corrects my distance vision, but as with others, my closeup vision isn't great.
I changed my HP hose to a longer 40" length, (This is not DIR) and attached a retractor. I can pull my Cobra out far enough to read it comfortably, and it's tucked in close when not in hand.

Mike D
:blfish: