Diving with a visual impairment or how to see more under water

Diving is a wonderful sport. It doesn’t matter if we’ve seen it for ourselves, or through films and photos, one thing is certain – the underwater world is beautiful, amazing and full of mysteries. So it’s no wonder that when exploring the last unexplored, or even barely explored, area on our planet, we want to see everything as clearly as possible.

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Sight is our primary sense underwater. If our visibility is limited for health reasons, we not only deprive ourselves of the opportunity to experience something amazing, but above all we put ourselves in danger.

However, this does not mean that we should give up diving, but just focus on buying the right equipment and following the right procedures.

The first option is corrective lenses for the mask. It is a solution for people who wear glasses and do not like lenses. The lenses in 99% of masks can be fitted in 5 minutes and you can go under water. In my opinion, solving the problem in this way has a few disadvantages, mainly the price. Corrective glasses are relatively expensive, their price is between 99-180pln. Additionally, only some masks (and these are only split masks) have the possibility of inserting lenses and for each model of the mask a different model of corrective lenses is produced. The next thing we should pay attention to is the fact that if our eyesight defect worsens, we will have to replace them from time to time (corrective glasses are produced with the value increasing every 0.5 dioptres). The same will happen if we lose our mask in any way.

Therefore, a much more economical and universal option seems to be the use of contact lenses. First of all, such a choice does not limit us as to the choice of a mask. Secondly, if we use lenses on a daily basis, nothing stands in the way of taking them underwater as well, we just need to follow the appropriate procedures and we can enjoy the views from the depths.

As we know, contact lenses are divided into single-use and reusable ones. For diving, you should definitely choose the former. The reason for this is that if in any way we lose a lens underwater (finding it is, of course, impossible), we do not really suffer a great loss and we can put this fact behind us with no regrets.

Now that we have decided to dive into contact lenses, what should we keep in mind and how should we proceed to make ourselves as comfortable as possible? Well, the basis is good moistening of the lens and eyeball. It is best to apply it before and after diving, then we should not feel any discomfort. You should also remember to blink as much as possible during your dive, as this will naturally prevent the eyeball from drying out and will not allow air bubbles to accumulate under the lens, which could result in blurred vision.

If we use lenses while diving, we must remember to close our eyes when removing the mask, for example on the course. Otherwise we may inadvertently rinse out our lenses.

Also remember to have a spare pair among your belongings and to let your buddy know that you are wearing lenses so that he can react appropriately in case of an emergency.

Source: Divers24
Photo: cressi.com