|
|
Post by surflung on Mar 28, 2015 18:06:37 GMT -8
- I've had good success with Focus Daily Contact lenses... Very comfortable. However, they aren't bifocal and I have trouble reading my gauges. I've heard of wearing a close focus left lens with a regular focus right lens. Seems like a cockeyed solution but I've heard you can get used to it. Anyone have experience with this?
|
|
|
|
Post by OystrPir8 on Mar 28, 2015 18:42:16 GMT -8
Ha ha - yeah - last time I was in the water I experienced my first "I need a longer hose" moment. Stupid 40s.
|
|
|
|
Post by cnotthoff on Mar 28, 2015 19:03:35 GMT -8
I've had these guys install many readers. I think they will work when you are wearing your contacts. prescriptiondivemasks.comGood Dives, Charlie |
|
|
|
Post by lakediver on Mar 28, 2015 19:15:38 GMT -8
Surflung, what you are describing is called monovision. If it is going to work well the non-dominant eye must wear the contact lens for near. Normally the dominant eye is on the same side as your hand preference but this is not always the case. You can check for eye dominance by stretching out your arms and making a hole with your hands. Fixate on a distant object through the hole. Close one eye and then the other. If the distant object remains in view, that is the dominant eye. The eye that loses the fixation target is the non- dominant eye and is the one that should be set for near. People usually tolerate this or not at all. You might ask your eye care professional for a trial lens for near to see if this will work for you. I am a certified ophthalmic technician.
|
|
|
|
Post by SeaRat on Mar 28, 2015 19:35:17 GMT -8
Surflung, I have tried both prescription lenses in my mask, and the reading half-lens insert in the mask. I have since changed, as both those options led to problems out of the water when I was walking with my mask down--it was hard to see the ground . I normally have to walk out of the river onto rocks, and don't take my mask off until I'm on solid ground, where I can take both my mask and helmet off. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a diver in Hong Kong, C.Y. Tang, who was also, until he retired, head of a school of optometry there. He developed a product called the SeawiscopeEY, which I have been using for several years now. Here is a photo of me using the SeawiscopeEY:  Photo by Sid Macken It is a flip-down attachment which attaches to most masks. It also allows a diver to directly observe very close and small wildlife. Last year I watched a hydra on a leaf from a distance of about four inches for five minutes using it. There is no split vision, and when you don't need it you simply flip it up, out of the way. I use the SeawiscopeEY on almost all my dives now. Besides observations I could not have done before on small fish, snails, invertebrate life, etc., I can now see my gauges too. John |
|
|
|
Post by scubadiverbob on Mar 28, 2015 23:24:24 GMT -8
Cool John, I like your vintage photo equipment! Not too many vintage divers do that anymore! I have to find my flash plug for my Nik 4A (sorta vintage); because, I had two digitals flood on me at Monterey ... one I was able to repair; the other is acting weird. Problem is the one I repaired needs a door o-ring that's impossible to get. Guess I got a camera that's good for rain and snow. I will probably start using my Nik 4A again; as, I found a place that sells Kodak film. My Nikonos cameras eat fiji film like it's candy! Checking out the problem revealed fiji film is about 1/3 the thickness of the old kodak film ...
Just enlarge any photos of me and you all will see my mask. Couldn't get lenses in a mask when in Panama; so, taped an old pair of military issue glasses to the lens plate. (Remember the cheap (crappy) black framed ones, John?) ... it sorta worked. At least my Nik II could see better than me !!!
I don't recommend using old military glasses for sure! They were a pain to see out of on dry land! In boot camp, they sent my glasses home and issued me a pair and I swear them glasses were made so I could see what sea duty would be like! I was tripping and stumbling over everything! Then, they expected me to march in a straight line .... did a lot of "you know the position; give me fifty" How does the song go "Those were the days my friend"? I thought boot camp was never going to end!
Well, it's 12:30 am here in sunny, and hot, California! (Wishing I was on the East Coast or Adak, AK!) ... Andrew's bugging me to get wet; so, gotta get some sleep! Going to the river tomorrow .... hope my back hold's up. A dad has to do, what a dad's gotta do (taking a son diving right after church) ... Good night!
|
|
|
|
Post by surflung on Mar 29, 2015 6:17:59 GMT -8
Surflung, what you are describing is called monovision. If it is going to work well the non-dominant eye must wear the contact lens for near. Normally the dominant eye is on the same side as your hand preference but this is not always the case. You can check for eye dominance by stretching out your arms and making a hole with your hands. Fixate on a distant object through the hole. Close one eye and then the other. If the distant object remains in view, that is the dominant eye. The eye that loses the fixation target is the non- dominant eye and is the one that should be set for near. People usually tolerate this or not at all. You might ask your eye care professional for a trial lens for near to see if this will work for you. I am a certified ophthalmic technician. - Thanks lakediver... I'm quite familiar with the "dominant eye" factor from shooting guns but I hadn't thought of it with respect to this situation. Thanks for your explanation... Good to hear from an expert. - I wore the old hard contact lenses when I was a kid... Scuba diving, water skiing, playing football, bike hiking,... Girl Watching... I could see better than 20/20. But I lost the ability to wear contacts comfortably in my 20's and have been stuck with glasses ever since. - About 4 years ago as I was regaining my interest in diving thru vintage, I thought to try contacts again and it was suggested that the one eye for close and one eye for distance lenses were the solution for bifocals. I tried that but I think it got complicated by a lens type that I just couldn't get physically comfortable with... Eyes would get sore and lenses blurry... So it didn't help to have each eye seeing different distances. - Since that time, I discovered "Focus Dailies" a one-day-and-throw-away contact lense that is 70% water. These things are so comfortable... I could wear them all day right from the start and except for the poor close distance sight, I see like an eagle crystal clear with full periphery and forget I have them on. I wear any dive mask I want to wear and when I come out of the water, I take my mask off and see all of the beautiful scenery... It is is miracle of technology. - The goofy thing is, underwater magnification actually clears the close vision up enough to see my gauges when there's bright sunlight and I'm near the surface... Probably the light shrinks the pupil and clears things like an aperture rifle sight. But I lose that when it's darker or deeper. - COST: Focus Dailies are about $1 per lens. So, $2 for perfect non-glasses eye sight every day I go diving. And just as lakediver says, the eye doctor will give you samples for free to see if they work for you. I'm going to try some close focus lenses for my left (non-dominant) eye! |
|
|
|
Post by lakediver on Mar 29, 2015 6:32:22 GMT -8
Daily disposable lenes are probably the most convenient and arguably the safest type of lenses for people involved in water sports. Monvision sometimes takes a little getting used to. I am guessing that you will probably need about +2.25 to +2.50 diopter added to your distance Rx in your left eye. Hope this works for you.
|
|
|
|
Post by surflung on Mar 29, 2015 6:46:15 GMT -8
lakediver, I just visited the "Dailies" website and found out a couple things:
1. CibaVision merged with Alcon so that's the manufacturer and they'd now just called "Dailies".
2. They now have a version for bifocal wearers (they didn't before).
- What's your opinion of bifocal contact lenses?
|
|
|
|
Post by lakediver on Mar 29, 2015 7:04:35 GMT -8
Bifocal soft lenses are again a mixed bag. Some people love them, some people hate them. Bifocal soft lenses generally work the best in brighter lighting conditions. Even with bifocal soft lenses sometimes you have to make one eye slightly sharper at near. If monvision doesn't work, you might try a bifocal lens in the left eye only so the difference between the two eyes is not too extreme. Again the only way to know if it works is to try it, but fitting soft bifocals usually requires more trial and error and your eye practicioner may not just be able to hand out some trials.
|
|
|
|
Post by scubadiverbob on Mar 29, 2015 10:21:44 GMT -8
This all sounds better than the "military cheap glasses taped in the mask", for sure! I don't think contact lenses can be made for me. or will work for me. I'm stuck with getting lenses in my mask. My eyes are so bad that one time I went to the eye doctor and he changed the "E" on the chart to an "A" so I would get it wrong! Mean trick, huh?
|
|
|
|
Post by scubadiverbob on Mar 29, 2015 10:23:23 GMT -8
Well, my back isn't making popping noises and my right leg isn't numb from the waist down; so, time to go to the river! Chat later!
|
|
