25 Oct 2021

Your Guide to Scuba Diving with Glasses or Contacts

Do you dream of exploring the depths of the ocean and having an underwater world at your fingertips? Do you worry that your glasses or contacts will prevent you from being able to engage in that experience?

Scuba diving with glasses or contacts does require some extra preparation; however, it is possible for you to still have your own underwater adventure.

If you’re planning scuba diving adventures and wondering, “can I scuba dive if I wear glasses,” or “can I scuba dive if I wear contacts,” keep reading to learn what you need to know about scuba diving with glasses or contacts.

Scuba Diving With Glasses

Can you go scuba diving with glasses? There is not a short yes or no to this question. Many scuba divers have attempted various solutions; however, ultimately, these solutions are lacking.

The Problem

When you go scuba diving, you wear a scuba mask and other gear. To work correctly, this mask needs to get a good seal on your face.

The problem with wearing glasses is that the earpieces will prevent the skirt of your mask from sealing tightly. If you somehow get a seal with the earpieces, the pressure from your mask and glasses would be very uncomfortable.

Some divers have attempted to remove the earpieces from their glasses, putting only the frame in their mask. While this does prevent your scuba mask from leaking, there is no way to readjust, clean, or prevent your glasses from fogging during your dive.

However, all hope is not lost; there is a solution.

The Solution

If you wear glasses, there are a few possible solutions. For individuals with a mild prescription, you may not actually need your glasses underwater.

Water provides a natural magnification of around 33 percent, meaning that you may not need glasses underwater. However, if this is not the case for you, you will want to consider a prescription mask for scuba diving.

If you do need a prescription mask, your local dive shop will help you with what you need to buy. You will need to have your prescription, and what you buy will be dependent on that.

If you don’t want to buy a prescription mask, your other choice is contact lenses.

Scuba Diving With Contacts

You can scuba dive with contact lenses. However, before you head twenty thousand leagues under the sea to destroy your own sea monster, take the following into consideration.

Wear Soft Disposable Contact Lenses

When you’re diving, there is a big difference between soft and hard contact lenses. Hard lenses can leave your vision blurry and cause eye pain.

This happens due to the atmospheric pressure increasing as you go deeper during your dive. The hard lenses are gas permeable, and they can suction in line with the increasing pressure.

This effect is not only uncomfortable, but it is bad for your eyes. In addition, if your mask happens to flood with water, soft contact lenses are less likely to wash out of your eyes.

One of the risks of wearing contact lenses while diving is the risk of infection if your contacts pick up any bacteria from the water. Finally, be sure to pack extra eye drops before you go diving with contact lenses.