Diving with poor eyesight is possible. You just need to get one of the diving masks with prescription lenses.
Prescription dive masks can come with corrective lenses for short sightedness or long-sightedness. You can also get lenses to help you read your instruments correctly so that you know how much time you have left under water.
Easier said than done? Not really. In any case, does it mean that if you have poor eyesight you cannot dive? You can. You can also snorkel and take part in many water sports. Remember, there is no age limit for scuba diving. Do not let poor eyesight limit you.
Now, there are many risks involved with scuba diving. If you cannot see clearly in the water, you will be compounding your risk, making things harder for yourself. Besides, there is no joy in scuba diving if you will not be able to see underwater.
Some time back, I looked at snorkel masks for people who wear glasses in detail. So, if there is a snorkel mask for a glasses wearer, it stands to logic that there is also one for divers. The popularity of water sports such as scuba diving, kayaking, surfing, snorkeling and many more has brought about the production of hi-tech equipment.
Thus, even if you are overweight, you can still dive! And now, even if you have poor eyesight, you can still dive. And see clearly in the water.
You can buy a diving mask with prescription lenses on Amazon.com. However, there is no fun in buying a mask that you know nothing or very little about. You see, if you buy blindly, you may not get good value for your money.
Besides, when it comes to water sports equipment, you can never be too careful. There is a thin line between danger and safety in the water. Reclaim your eyesight underwater with the best scuba diving prescription masks.
Why get diving masks with prescription lenses?
Do you really need the prescription diving masks? Perhaps not. However, if you wear prescription glasses every day, well, you will need to wear a prescription scuba mask for diving and snorkeling.
If you are thinking that it can be possible to wear your prescription glasses inside your diving mask, it is not possible. The only option that you have is to buy prescription lens inserts for your regular diving mask, or full prescription dive mask.
Here are a few reasons why you need prescription masks for diving:
- Your eyesight has started failing you – obviously!
- You can no longer see very well in low light conditions
- You find it hard to read the gauges on your scuba diving tank
- You cannot read your dive watch display properly
- When you wear reading or other glasses out of the water
- To see underwater life clearly
- When you are shortsighted
- When you are long-sighted
Just as it is with the regular diving masks, there is such a wide variety of prescription diving masks in the online marketplaces.
If you use prescription glasses when you are at work or at home, in your daily life, then you know very well that you cannot dive with regular masks. Thankfully, there are diving lenses of the same power and size as the lens on your prescription glasses.
There are many different type of diving masks on sale. While a lot of choice is good, it can be a bit challenging for a first-time buyer to get the right one. Therefore, instead of reviewing prescription dive masks for you in this article, I will help you know how you can buy the right one.
You can buy prescription diving mask lenses for your old masks
Now, if you have one of those old and irreplaceable diving masks, you will be happy to know that you can always order prescription lenses for them.
What happens in this case is that when you order lenses from a retailer, they mail you are a shipping label so that you can send your mask to them. They will then send it back, having fixed it with bonded lenses.
Alternatively, you can always order slip-on lenses. However, note that these have a risk of slipping out of the dive mask because of the force of the water. It is better to choose the bonded lenses. They will last a long time.
Negative or positive corrective lenses?
If you are a scuba diver who just wants to see the gauges on your instruments clearly, then getting your prescription diving mask ready need not take much time or money. If you are short-sighted, there is a solution for you, and a fast one too.
Negative corrective lenses are used for people who have the short sight condition. What you need is negative corrective lens.
If you are long-sighted and can only see objects that are a distance away, then what you need are positive corrective lenses. These ones are going to enable you to see things from close up. When ordering your lenses online, you should know exactly what you need so that you get the right thing.
When you just need lens to read your gauges, then bifocal lenses should do. Sometimes, you may find that you are not able to read the settings on your scuba camera.
However, note that it is not at all times that you will need negative, positive corrective lenses or bifocals. Sometimes, it would be better to buy a full prescription mask. For example, if your eyes have a certain shape, then you may need prescription lenses that are shaped in similar manner. Such a mask requires enough time to get ready.
Before you order diving masks with prescription lenses, it is good to see your optician first. That way, he or she can advice you amply on what to order.
Drop in corrective lens
These lenses are made to order. However, your mask should be able to accommodate them. What happens is that you can remove the ordinary glass of the mask and insert the corrective lens. Again, for this, you have to give the correct prescription information as you got it from your optometrist.
Drop-in lenses are not pricey. However, some people say that this lens option is not good for people with strong prescription lenses. It is still an option that you may want to think about.
If you already have a scuba diving mask that you know can fit the lenses, then you just have to order the inserts, in which case you will pay a lower amount of money.
Optometrist information
However, before you order one, there are a few things to bear in mind:
First, see an optometrist. This eye health specialist deals with eye health diagnosis as well as prescribing glasses for people. Just tell him or her that you are looking for lenses for a mask and then pass all the information he gives you regarding your prescription glasses to the retailer of the prescription dive masks.
When you pass on the required information, the dive mask manufacturer or retailer is going to have a good prescription mask made for you. Please note that you also need the optometrist information when you need the prescription inserts rather than the full mask itself.
Another thing that you need to note is that while you need to wear the mask for diving, if you have poor eyesight, it means you have to keep the mask on until you get to the place where you left your glasses. You can wear the mask for walking on the beach, until you find your glasses. It will help you see better.
The lens power
The lens power is measured in diopters, which is indicated as D. Of course, there are other signs and letters used for the lenses. However, because the diving prescription masks are mostly for correcting near or far-sightedness, we just consider the diopters.
Lens power increases by 0.5 and starts from 1 to 5. While they correct near or far sightedness, if you are astigmatic, you can always look for a prescription diving mask with different lens for each eye.
Dive mask comfort
Prescription diving masks could be heavier than the regular diving masks thanks to the added lens, which is usually made of tempered glass. Thus, you want to be sure that the mask will feel as comfortable as possible on your head.
But comfort is not everything. You also want the mask to keep water out. A fogging mask is a serious risk when you are under water. You may have all equipment for diving, including the scuba dive weights right. However, but without seeing your way in the water, it will be too risky for you.
Ensure that the strap of the mask feels comfortable on the back of your head. Also make sure that the silicone skirt of the mask is tight against your skin lest water finds its way in.
Cost of diving masks with prescription lenses
You do not want to pay too much money for your prescription diving mask. However, never sacrifice quality on the altar of price. Thus, you should first consider the features of the prescription mask lenses that you want. The more features and the higher the specs the better. You will also want to compare prices on different marketplaces before buying.
You should buy your prescription dive mask on Amazon.com because of the variety. Another reason is that the prices are much better. You will also read reviews left by other users and best of all, you can read all the information that you need in the product description.
Note that different types of prescription lenses will cost different prices. Custom made lenses, you know, the one where you send the optometrist information to the retailer and have it customized for you is costly.
Other options are cheap. The cheapest of them all is a readymade prescription mask such as the Deep Blue Gear Dive and Snorkel mask with prescription lens on Amazon.com. With this mask, you get lens power of 1 to 10, depending on your needs.
With the readymade masks, all that you need to do is send you prescription details with your order. The mask will be fitted with the prescription lens. When you get it, you can try it out, see how it performs. Most of them have return policy, so you can always return it if it does not fit.
Whatever you do, you should never dive blindly. It is risky and you may not even know how to work your gear such as scuba diving BCD.
Conclusion
Before the diving masks with prescription lenses were invented, most diving enthusiasts with poor eyesight would buy prescription lenses and attach them to their scuba diving masks. However, because of the water pressure and other factors, you know you cannot take chances. Your scuba equipment has to be just right all the time, for your safety as well as the safety of other divers. Even before you dive, make sure you can see your scuba diving watch, read the gauges and see far into the distance with the prescription mask on.
