Your Guide to select your contact lenses
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If you're a diver looking to navigate the waters of scuba diving with glasses or perhaps considering contact lenses, you'll be relieved to know diving is still very much an option for you!
There's a lot to consider when it comes to diving with corrective lenses. While both glasses and contacts are viable for divers, it's crucial to note that regular glasses aren't safe for underwater use.
Your choice on land can guide your decision for underwater vision solutions.
The most favored choices among divers are standard contact lenses, SeeDeep glasses, or opting for a prescription mask.
Each option offers its benefits, with contact lenses being easy to use and familiar, SeeDeep glasses being ideal for regular divers or those accustomed to eyeglasses, and prescription masks tailored for a seamless underwater view.
However, it's important to weigh the pros and cons of each.
This article will delve into the specifics of diving with contact lenses. For those leaning towards a prescription mask, check out our dedicated guide to making your scuba diving with glasses experience a clear and safe one.
Dive into our guide for the top picks and tips on scuba diving with lenses or diving glasses!
Choosing the Right Lens for Diving: Hard vs. Soft Contact Lenses
#1: Safety First! Especially with Lenses or Diving Glasses
#2: Pro's and Con's: Hard and Soft Contact lenses
#3: Alternatives to diving with contact lenses
#1: Safety First! Especially with Lenses or Diving Glasses
When it comes to scuba diving, choosing the right type of contact lens is crucial for both comfort and safety. Divers typically have two options: hard or soft contact lenses. Each type has its own set of characteristics that can impact your diving experience. Keep in mind that when using contact lenses, if they fall out during the dive, most ot the time the dive has to be aborted
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#2: Pro's and Con's: Hard and Soft Contact lenses
Hard contact lenses are known for their inability to allow gases to pass through. This characteristic can lead to a unique issue for divers. During a dive, the eye absorbs nitrogen, which normally escapes gradually. However, with hard lenses, this nitrogen gets trapped, forming tiny bubbles between the lens and the eye. This can result in blurred vision post-dive.
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Additionally, divers wearing hard lenses might experience drier eyes, necessitating more frequent blinking. Another drawback is their size. Hard lenses are generally smaller and can easily dislodge, especially when adjusting or removing the dive mask.
Given these factors, hard contact lenses are not typically recommended for scuba diving. While they don’t pose a direct medical threat, the inconvenience and discomfort they can cause are often considered not worth the risk.
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Soft Contact Lenses are a better alternative compared to hard contact lenses
Soft contact lenses are more favorable for diving for several reasons:
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1. Gas Permeability: Unlike hard lenses, soft lenses allow gases to permeate. This means air can pass through the lens, preventing the nitrogen bubble issue experienced with hard lenses.
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2. Comfort: Soft lenses are less likely to cause dryness in the eyes, maintaining comfort throughout the dive.
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3. Reduced Risk of Loss: Soft lenses are slightly larger and adhere better to the eye’s surface. This reduces the risk of losing them, especially if the dive mask is removed or adjusted. In the event that the mask is floated, a diver can simply close their eyes gently to keep the lens in place, as the eyelid will naturally hold it.
In conclusion, while both hard and soft contact lenses can be used for diving, soft lenses offer distinct advantages in terms of comfort, safety, and overall dive experience. Their ability to allow gas penetration and their larger size make them a more suitable and reliable choice for divers.
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#3: Alternatives to diving with Contact Lenses or Prescription Mask
If you don’t like the idea of diving whilst wearing contact lenses, no need to worry. Luckily, there are lots of other options to see underwater:
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Prescription masks: These masks can be custom-made specifically for your eyesight. They tend to be a little pricier but depending on how often you dive, you may want to make the commitment.
Corrective lenses: These lenses can be made to fit most standard masks.
Stick-on lenses: Similar to corrective lenses these stickers can be stuck on the inside of a mask and require no contact lenses to be worn.
SeeDeep Reading Glasses: glasses that you can wear like normal reading glasses, while using your own dive mask, get them here
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