Which is better - Contact Lens or Presciption Mask?

I am not sure which way to go when scuba diving... Should I use contact lens
or a corrective mask? Anyone know which is the most popular and the pros and
cons?

I know a lot of people say go with a prescription mask, but I have been
diving for 9 years with contacts and have had no problems, other than one
lost lens when my mask flooded. I always carry a few spares, so I popped one
in when back on the boat. Just have to be religious in cleaning and care of
the lenses, but if you're a diver you're used to that.

"JT" <x2020@prexar.comnospam> wrote in message
news:vu1l7bff7b651b@corp.supernews.com...
> I am not sure which way to go when scuba diving... Should I use contact
lens
> or a corrective mask? Anyone know which is the most popular and the pros
and
> cons?
>
>

"K" <uwaape@rcn.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in:
: Just have to be religious in cleaning and care of
:the lenses, but if you're a diver you're used to that.

I dive with contact lenses and I don't clean them at all. I use the
'wear for two weeks and throw away' kind. What's the big deal with
cleaning them?

Dan Bracuk
If at first you don't succeed, you run the risk of failure.
The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/


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Agreed. Definitely contacts.
"Dan Bracuk, CTHD" <NOTbracuk@pathcom.com> wrote in message
news:4e12uv0gqv48r2cucavbmfmgno3nu7pbqq@4ax.com...
> "JT" <x2020@prexar.comnospam> pounded away at his keyboard resulting
> in:
> :I am not sure which way to go when scuba diving... Should I use contact
lens
> :or a corrective mask? Anyone know which is the most popular and the pros
and
> :cons?
>
> Contact lenses are better because they are still in your eyes when you
> take your mask off after the dive.
>
> Dan Bracuk
> If at first you don't succeed, you run the risk of failure.
> The Best of rec.scuba http://www.pathcom.com/~bracuk/RecScuba/
>
>
> -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
> http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
> -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

"JT" <x2020@prexar.comnospam> wrote in message
news:vu1l7bff7b651b@corp.supernews.com...
> I am not sure which way to go when scuba diving... Should I use contact
lens
> or a corrective mask? Anyone know which is the most popular and the pros
and
> cons?
>
>

I'm lucky, while I use glasses out of water, underwater without glasses I
can see as well through my mask as with my glasses above water.

I suppose it has something to do with diffraction or something.

rhys

Jon C <news@jonnythan.com> wrote:
>Agreed. Definitely contacts.
>> Contact lenses are better because they are still in your eyes when you
>> take your mask off after the dive.

Unless your eyes become irritated in the middle of a trip. No fallback
position then. Rental prescription masks are becoming a bit more common,
but you could still be in the lurch.

Alternatively, you can get that hilarious fish eye mask that requires the
wearer to be a bit near sighted to use.

--
Jason O'Rourke www.jor.com

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 19:02:00 +1300, "rnf2" <rnf2@NOSPAMwaikato.ac.nz>
wrote:
>I'm lucky, while I use glasses out of water, underwater without glasses I
>can see as well through my mask as with my glasses above water.
>
>I suppose it has something to do with diffraction or something.

Well I wear contacts and like "rnf2" I find my vision is much better
underwater but I am still missing the fine detail. Old age also means
I need reading glasses when wearing the contacts. After experimenting
with various approaches I now dive with one contact lens in and one
out. That way I have excellent distance vision and can also read my
gauges/computer/camera screen. It's amazing how the brain
accommodates this mixed vision both above and below water.

David

JT wrote:
> I am not sure which way to go when scuba diving... Should I use contact lens
> or a corrective mask? Anyone know which is the most popular and the pros and
> cons?

I use a corrective mask. The positive side: I have never had contact
lenses, and I don't need to worry about them much if I take my mask off
underwater. Downside? Well, I have -5.5 in the other eye. I carry a
second set of lenses for the mask, and my wife has an identical mask, so
that if something breaks, I can make a replacement. With contacts, I
could just borrow any mask.

/m

Dan Bracuk, CTHD left this mess on Wed, 17 Dec 2003 20:43:35 -0500 for The Way
to clean up:
>
>"K" <uwaape@rcn.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in:
>: Just have to be religious in cleaning and care of
>:the lenses, but if you're a diver you're used to that.
>
>I dive with contact lenses and I don't clean them at all. I use the
>'wear for two weeks and throw away' kind. What's the big deal with
>cleaning them?
>

Most opthamologists and opticians recommend against wearing long-term even
lenses rated for overnight wear.

Me, I have disposables similar to yours. I take them out at the end of the day,
drop them in no-rub solution and am done with it. If I cleaned them, I might get
a few days at the back end of the month's comfort from them, I suppose.

Tao te Carl
"It takes a village to have an idiot." - Carl (c) 2003

(Kudos to Cap'n Jim Wyatt for this link) BEFORE you ask a dumb-ass question
here...http://www.speakeasy.org/~neilco/bart.gif

Funny thing about those is that my perscription is exactly what they
recommend for use without their additional contacts.

Hmmm :D


"Jason O'Rourke" <jor@soda.csua.berkeley.edu> wrote in message
news:brrm0m$2drc$1@agate.berkeley.edu...
> Jon C <news@jonnythan.com> wrote:
> >Agreed. Definitely contacts.
> >> Contact lenses are better because they are still in your eyes when you
> >> take your mask off after the dive.
>
> Unless your eyes become irritated in the middle of a trip. No fallback
> position then. Rental prescription masks are becoming a bit more common,
> but you could still be in the lurch.
>
> Alternatively, you can get that hilarious fish eye mask that requires the
> wearer to be a bit near sighted to use.
>
> --
> Jason O'Rourke www.jor.com