If you need glasses to drive, you need glasses to dive....
Many people wear glasses to improve their distance vision. Others,
particularly people over 40 years old, require reading glasses. These vision correction requirements continue to exist when we enter
the water. The following information is intended to help you
make informed decisions about correcting your underwater vision.
- Contact lenses: Yes, you can use your contact lenses while diving,
and a great many divers do just that. But you will need to be sure that you
have a properly fitted mask, to minimize water coming in contact with your
lenses. A major advantage for the contact lens wearer is that he or she can
see at the surface when the mask is removed. A word of advice: a good pair
of wrap around sunglasses will go a long way to preventing loss of your
contact lenses. We hardly ever see anyone lose a lens while diving, but we
frequently see people lose lenses in the wind.
- Pop-in lenses: Certain masks are designed to be easily assembled and
disassembled. We stock a variety of pre-manufactured prescription lenses with standard
vision correction to replace the original mask lenses. Occasionally, we have
to order a lens, but our standard stock lenses meet most people's
needs. This system may not give everyone an exact prescription correction
but gets pretty close. This system is economical and takes approximately 10
minutes to assemble. It has proven to be very popular with snorkelers. A mask with pop-in prescription lenses will cost around $150.
- Prescription SeaVision masks: This mask has lenses made from polycarbonate resin so
they are non-shatterable. Equally as important, the lenses are manufactured
to match your exact prescription. This system is particularly useful for the
person with astigmatic correction. SeaVision also can make a mask that
corrects your distance vision as well as your near vision (bifocal mask).
SeaVision is the innovator of color corrected lenses. Finally, for the aging
scuba diver having difficulty in reading gauges but still has no requirement
for distance correction, SeaVision makes the Gauge Reader. A specially
ordered custom manufactured SeaVision mask is usually available in 8 -
10 days. SeaVision single vision prescription masks will cost
approximately $200; bifocal lenses will add around $30 to most masks.
- Bonded lenses: Virtually any mask can have lenses for distance
or near vision (or both) bonded inside. Bonded lenses usually cost in the
range of $150 plus the cost of the mask.
Whether you are a new snorkeler or diver who wears glasses to drive, or you
are an old time diver who's arm has become too short, why not stop by "The" Dive
Shop and check the various options that can improve your underwater vision?
A few words of caution...we are divers, not opticians or optometrists. We
help hundreds of people each year obtain a vision corrected mask but we will
need a current copy of your prescription in order to help you.
Call 703-698-7220 for additional information about optical correction.
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