Can You Scuba Dive with Prescription Glasses?
Many non-divers who wear prescription glasses often ask can you scuba dive with prescription glasses? If everything underwater is magnified 33 times do you still need your glasses?
I still remember that science experiment on the refraction of light. I remember being fascinated by the fact that bending light caused my pen to appear bigger in a glass of water.
Many years later I get to witness this same experiment each time I go diving. Marine life and other objects underwater appear bigger and closer than they actually are. But can you scuba dive with prescription glasses?
You can’t scuba dive with prescription glasses because they will interfere with mask sealing. Luckily there are several options available for those who need prescription glasses. These include wearing contact lenses, masks with prescription lenses, and stick-on corrective lenses.
Scuba diving masks should seal properly onto your face preventing any water from getting in. To achieve this, the mask has to seal properly on the ears and nose bridge.
When wearing prescription glasses, the frame will prevent complete sealing. This will not only allow free water flow in your mask but it’s also very uncomfortable for the wearer.
As mentioned earlier, everything appears bigger underwater. This may improve vision for some people but definitely not everyone who wears prescription glasses.
In this article, we’ll look into scuba diving with prescription glasses, how to choose prescription diving masks, how much this costs, and much more.
Keep reading to learn more!
Wearing glasses and you want to go #scubadiving? What’s the latest on prescription #dive and #snorkel masks? Have a look: https://t.co/xNOMRFgmKJ pic.twitter.com/vLB0jwbJwV
— DeepBlueDiving (@Deep_BlueDiving) May 17, 2018
Can you wear glasses in a scuba mask?
No, you can’t wear glasses in a scuba mask.
Glasses will affect how your dive mask seals onto your face. The skirt on the mask should seal perfectly onto your face without hurting you or causing a lot of pressure against your skin.
Wearing glasses will affect this sealing around the ears and the nose bridge.
The frames will cause skirt lifting around the ears meaning spaces are created all-around your face.
When scuba diving, this is quite dangerous water in the mask affects visibility and can also get into the nose affecting breathing.
Furthermore, this would beat the purpose of wearing prescription glasses. The water flowing through the mask will affect visibility through the glasses and the mask.
Can’t see without your #glasses or contact lenses? Prescription #diving masks make it all worthwhile again… https://t.co/JtMEae9Tha pic.twitter.com/c7s843qEup
— Rx Swimming Goggles (@RxSwimGoggles) August 3, 2017
How can you see underwater if you wear glasses?
You are probably wondering how then do you see underwater if you can’t wear glasses?
To see underwater, divers who wear prescription glasses wear prescription diving masks, contact lenses, or stick-on corrective lenses.
Divers needing prescription glasses should invest in diving masks. Rental shops only have normal diving masks and don’t offer rental prescription masks.
With eye problems, every case is unique and no two people have the same type of lenses.
Just like prescription medicine, you shouldn’t self-diagnose the prescription lenses you need.
If your friend or sibling has somewhat similar lenses you shouldn’t use their lenses at any point. This can damage your eyes even more.
If you need prescription glasses visit your eye doctor for assessment and recommendation of corrective lenses.
Can you get prescription scuba masks
Yes, you can get prescription scuba masks.
Basically, you need to buy a quality dive mask and then take it to your eye doctor for prescription lens replacement.
The normal dive lens is removed and replaced with prescription lenses that match your eyesight or eye needs.
This can be quite expensive since the diver has to invest in the dive mask and pay for the prescription lens fitting.
Prescription lens installation will set you back anywhere between 200 -500 dollars or more depending on your location and lens type.
However, this is a necessary expense if you love scuba diving and have eyesight problems. This investment will last you for many days to come especially if you go diving a few times a month or a year.
Those scuba diving more often may need to replace the lenses more due to scratches or impact experienced when diving.
But don’t worry you won’t need to replace the lenses after each dive.
Wear glasses? Did you know we can provide both single & bifocal prescription lenses for #divingmasks? Fit them yourself or we can fit them to the mask of your choice…
Find all the details here – https://t.co/XfxwLNLjz4 #perscriptionlensdivingmask#scuba #scubadiving #diving pic.twitter.com/CRnzAAdCUJ
— Simply Scuba (@simplyscuba) March 25, 2019
Read More: Are Scuba And Snorkel Masks The Same
How to choose a prescription dive mask
When choosing a prescription dive mask, the same steps will apply as when choosing normal dive masks.
Look for a mask with a high-grade silicone skirt to ensure the mask seals onto your face perfectly.
Other options to consider include personal preferences such as color, brand, frame type, and cost.
Depending on your vision, some divers can use the premade prescription masks but many will need to take them for custom fitting.
Custom-made lenses cater to all your needs and take your vision factors before making the lenses. Premade prescription masks may be + or – what your optical factor actually is.
When buying premade prescription masks look for those with tempered glass as this won’t shatter while diving.
Exploring the reefs is easy with our masks with prescription glasses#Snorkeling #Diving #Cancun pic.twitter.com/3Zfx9pewqp
— Total Snorkel Cancun (@TotalSnorkel) January 2, 2016
Can you scuba dive with contact lenses?
Yes, you can scuba dive with soft contact lenses.
Soft contact lenses are a more preferred option among divers because they hold better in the eye when diving.
In case water gets into your mask the contact lenses will not fall off the eye or get lost. In addition, soft lenses rarely cause any irritation or discomfort among divers.
Hard contact lenses on the other hand are known to cause irritation especially when there is some external pressure on the eye.
While diving gas trapped within the hard lens can cause blurry vision since these don’t allow gas flow.
In addition, hard contact lenses are known to cause dryness and irritation even when not diving.
If wearing contact lenses remember to avoid jumping into the water face first as this sudden impact can affect the lenses and cause trauma to the eye.
Contact lenses are a more affordable option compared to prescription diving masks. Disposable contact lenses are also a more proffered option and are easy to use.
Scuba diving with prescription glasses
As mentioned above, you can’t wear your prescription glasses while scuba diving. Luckily you can get prescription lenses fitted onto your diving mask.
With a prescription diving mask, you are all set for diving. Simply put on your gear and equipment and let’s go diving.
You don’t have to worry about not seeing marine life or where you are going.
Divers needing glasses can enjoy dives with their buddies.
Scuba diving with stick-on corrective lenses
As the name suggests, these are premade lenses that you can stick onto your diving mask to improve vision.
If you use prescription glasses but don’t have prescription dive masks or contact lenses, this is a good option to enjoy scuba diving.
The downside to these is that the stick-on loses its glue as you dive and can fall off easily.
Watch this short video below on how to put the corrective lenses on.
Can you wear glasses under a full-face dive mask?
No, you can’t wear glasses under a full-face dive mask.
Just like a half mask, these need to seal on the face too and keep the water out.
Divers using full face masks and also need prescription glasses can have the mask custom made to fit the lenses. Another option would be using contact lenses or stick-on corrective lenses.
Parting Words
Poor eyesight shouldn’t be a limiting factor in life. We’ve seen that if you wear prescription glasses you can also enjoy scuba diving using prescription diving masks, contact lenses, or stick-on corrective lenses.
Depending on your eye problem you will need custom-made prescription glasses by taking your diving mask to your eye doctor for installation of the lenses.
Some divers can benefit from premade prescription dive masks. Other divers may not need any lenses since everything is magnified underwater and they can actually see without any lenses.
