[jackijackijacki]

I am looking to purchase a dive mask and need to decide whether to get a prescription mask or use clear lenses. I am short sighted, my prescription is L: SPH -1.5 and R: SPH -1.0

Will it be worth the extra expense or will the magnification of the water reduce my need for the corrective lenses in the mask? Do you have any experience of using prescription lenses in dive masks?

I am not keen on wearing contact lenses when I dive.

 

[63322]

i have a similar prescription to you and think it's well worth it.

 

[David D]

My prescription is -1.5, -1.25 and I also think it's well worth it. They go in .5s, so I'd pick -1.5 for both eyes. You might pick -1. Which isn't very strong.

My current mask is a Seac Sub Extreme, there are other brands, e.g Tusa. Just price-checked my prescription, found a lot of variation. From about £200 to less than half that (check here). So shop around.

 

[SilvaFish]

Am shortsight (1.5) in my right eye only, I've got a TUSA mask that allows me to have different strengths for either side (mask has seperated sides, rather than one big front). Absolutely made a big difference to my sight underwater though, well worth it. Also, lenses are user-changable.

 

[Paul_c]

after getting my1st prescription mask 4 years ago i would never not use one. its much nicer to be able to see stuff properly. its still alive and is my spare. haviing got a new on a a month or so ago.

seriously i cant describe just how nice it actualy is.

 

[1693]

My problem with prescription masks is what to do just before you dive and when you take it off on the boat. If your eyesight is not too bad, you're OK but otherwise you'll need to keep your specs handy which means risking having them damaged.

I'm about +2 to +2.5 and wear disposable contacts when I dive. I've only ever lost two lenses and both whilst on courses that required removing my mask. I still need to have reading lenses in the corner of my masks so I can read my gauges.

I get them done at Axis Optical

 

[aquaal]

It depends on how much you want to see! If you wear glasses on the surface I’d say go for it!

I’m on my third prescription mask and wouldn’t be without mine – My prescription is -3.5 ish in both eyes but I have also had to correct for a minor astigmatism

There are two kinds of prescription lenses that I have used:

• Proper prescription lenses - these are made to the exact prescription and are then bonded to the inside of the dive mask.
• Close enough prescription lenses – these are only available with 0.5 incremented dioptics

The proper prescription lenses are exact matches and are really good for people with astigmatisms but as they are bonded to mask lenses inside the mask only provide the visibility through the prescription lenses and not the entire mask – They are also prone to getting grubby around the edges and look a bit weird when you look at them from outside.

Close enough are ideal but they only have 0.5 dioptics (the sphere part of the prescription) as opposed to 0.25 incremented dioptics that you get in your glasses – this is usually close enough. Close enough also don’t correct for astigmatisms but as long as your cylinder is less than 1 then this is correctable by calculating the “spherical equivalent”. To calculate the spherical equivalent I just took “half the cylinder value and added this to the sphere”. My astigmatism is cylinder -1 and my new mask is spot on ….. it takes 10 – 15 seconds after putting on for my brain to figure out the slight difference in prescription and again when I change back to my glasses but then it’s fine and vision is perfect (it’s the same as me putting on my older spare pair of glasses which are a slightly different prescription). As your prescription is -1.5 and -1 then as long as you don’t need to correct for astigmatism the “close enough” will be spot on.

Price wise the close enough will set you back between £20 - £25 for each lens compared to £80 -£140 a pair for the bonded “proper” lenses – Despite my astigmatism I would always go for the “close enough” as I really didn’t like the bonded types.

I dive a Cressi Big Eye Evolution which gives great visibility and is available with the close enough lenses – I really didn’t get on with the Tusa’s which seems a common choice for prescription masks. I picked my latest up from Divelife who fit the lenses before shipping them out.

Even if you don’t go the prescription route just yet I’d recommend opting for a make which gives you the option in the future and is available with off the shelf lenses.

 

[aquaal]

My problem with prescription masks is what to do just before you dive and when you take it off on the boat. If your eyesight is not too bad, you're OK but otherwise you'll need to keep your specs handy which means risking having them damaged.

I'm about +2 to +2.5 and wear disposable contacts when I dive. I've only ever lost two lenses and both whilst on courses that required removing my mask. I still need to have reading lenses in the corner of my masks so I can read my gauges.

I get them done at Axis Optical

Otterbox clipped or in the pocket works for me

 

[1693]

Otterbox clipped or in the pocket works for me

I don't have room for an Otterbox in my pockets, and I have big pockets. Not deep - Digger has deep pockets

 

[aquaal]

I don't have room for an Otterbox in my pockets, and I have big pockets. Not deep - Digger has deep pockets

Put em in Diggers pockets then ;-)

 

[1693]

Put em in Diggers pockets then ;-)

Did I mention his short arms?

 

[Dive_Monkey]

Definately worth it. I have +6.5 and +6.75 corrective lenses in my mask, I have them fitted to a Tusa Splendive and due to the presription they have to be UV bonded on to the orignal mask lenses. As I'm long sighted I can do the dive fine without corrective lenses, just don't ask me to read my gauges!

My girlfriend has -12 and -12.5 prescription is currently giving the company tasked with making her prescription mask a real headache as they try to get the focal point correct. Women tend to have closer eyes which makes it difficult in a mask with such think lenses.

For a 1.0 and 1.5 prescription you can buy off the shelf lenses to fit in a mask, I think Simply Scuba and DiveLife both do them.

 

[Dive_Monkey]

.

 

[jackijackijacki]

Thanks everyone, your comments will help me choosing the right mask (in time for my first diving holiday in Sharm el Sheikh in a few weeks!)

 

[dazdiver]

I have a similar perscription and only find i need the lenses in the uk, problem reading comp (vr3), in clear water eg Red Sea, Maldives, Malta etc I find the perscription mask a pain and go back to a normal one (Tusa Viewtrack), I think the lenses are about £80 fitted at SDS.

Daz

 

[18270]

I've considered it, but have had no problems wearing disposable contact lenses. I've never lost one during a dive.

 

[Stevex]

I wear vari-focal glasses when I'm not diving and contact lenses when I am. It was suggested to me by my optician to wear one lens so I can see distant objects and one so I can read my guages. I use a lens that corrects my shortsightedness in my left (dominant eye) and one in my right eye that allows me to read my guages and computer. You would think this is a recipe for disaster, I did, but your brain sorts it all out and it works amazingly well. When diving I wear this configuration all day and apart from the first five minutes, whilst i'm getting used to them, they're great; and it means you can still see fine during surface intervals without having to worry about glasses.

 

[AndyG_IOM]

i dive in my contact lenses - the monthly ones i use all the time and even with mask drills i have never lost a lens. I do keep a spare pair in the car but its easier to maybe swap a lens VERY OCCASIONALLY rather than faff every time i dive.... put lenses in, dive and forget.. Prescription masks are just not necessary IMHO

 

[edward]

I'm -6.5 roughly in both eyes and have a TUSA splendive with -6.5 'near enough' lenses in them (in fact I have two, one as backup). Work perfectly.

I got a cheap (£40 from posheyes.co.uk) pair of glasses that I wear on the boat so if they get trashed I don't care so much and my £400 silhouette specs don't get destroyed. If you have a lower prescription then they will do some specs for £16!