DIVE MASK IN DIVING

Whether your aging eyes do not allow you to distinguish the indications from the computer or you are myopic like an old owl, there are solutions to fully enjoy your dive. We asked Gaëtan Douillie, a member of scuba-people.com and optician in Belgium, to help us take stock of the issue.

LOUPES OR MORE COMPLEX CORRECTION

You have to start by distinguishing those who just need a little helping hand from those who have a more complex vision problem. For the former, most manufacturers offer corrected lenses on certain models of masks, from half-diopter to half-diopter. There are also small tablets to be placed in the mask, of the OPTX 20/20 brand, which can be obtained on the internet for about fifteen dollars. These are self-static, repositionable flexible silicone near vision pads, which can be cut with a cutter. “Avoid buying them from your optician,” explains Gaëtan from Optisquare, “we have the same prices as you and you will therefore not come out a winner”. The problem is that they do not hold very well, and may waltz with each mask cleaning. These two systems, mask with standard magnifiers, and pastilles to be glued, also have the drawback of lacking finesse: no centering, no fine correction. You will therefore lose visual comfort. The only advantage is the price.

DISPOSABLE LENSES FOR VISION FROM FAR

If your problem is with distance vision, you can definitely use disposable soft lenses, and many divers adopt this solution. The big advantage is that your eyesight will be permanently corrected: you will not need to be accompanied by a helpful buddy on all your travels until you have put on your mask! Prices have come down, and the risk of loss, according to those who use this system, is not great. And with a little practice, even a mask emptying is no longer a major problem. But this type of lens can lose comfort with increasing pressure, and some do not support them, or have a correction poorly suited to disposables. This is where the optician comes in.

NEVER MAKE PROGRESSIVE

Some will suggest you to adapt progressive lenses to your mask. And if the initial idea seems good, since it would correct all your visual concerns, near and far, Gaëtan is very reserved: "I do not really recommend it, usually the opticians who propose it are not divers. For them to work well, it would take perfect binocular vision, made difficult by the silicone nose; result, fuzzy areas very uncomfortable.

CLIPS, ATTENTION TO THE FACE

One can also imagine glasses clipped on the mask, according to the same principle as the sunglasses that hang on his glasses. Again, the principle seems good but the reality is less satisfactory: the fog is easily housed between the mask and the glass, and we return to square one, artistic vagueness guaranteed. "I've done it already, again for vision problems by far, recognizes the optician, but I do not recommend it."

GLUE CORRECTIVE GLASSES

What Optisquare recommends is to glue corrective lenses in the mask. This solution makes it possible to use half-moons for near vision, glasses glued on the upper part for far vision, or both if necessary: ​​all visual defects can thus be corrected, myopia, hyperopia , astigmatism, presbyopia, with a centering and precision as important as for a pair of glasses. "The operation, says Gaëtan, is possible on any mask, with only one glass or not, from the moment it is a real diving mask with a quality glass. By using a professional glue that does not yellow, we get an excellent final result, for less than 65 euros per glass even for a significant correction. "

WHERE TO DO IT?

But few opticians do it themselves. In France, all or almost all subcontract with the house Demetz, specialist in sports optics, which offers a whole range of diving and apnea masks, but only models with two lenses. You may then pay relatively dearly depending on the margin that the professional will reserve, so do not hesitate to ask for several quotes. Still, some will suggest that you “pass off” your diving mask for a pair of glasses, which will allow you to be at least partially reimbursed. But that opens another debate in which we will not enter: is it acceptable to make the community pay for equipment intended for our leisure time?

AND WHAT ABOUT LOUPES?

And since we are in the optical, say a word of loupes: some divers passionate marine biology, even if they have a very good view, use them to better observe nudibranchs, shrimps, or other miniature critters. Now a problem arises: the refractive index of a conventional magnifying glass being practically the same as that of water, its effect is practically canceled. It is therefore imperative to choose a magnifier of significant power to maintain magnification once under water. Foldable magnifiers with two cumulative powers seem to be the most effective.