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Fluid googles and contact lenses

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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PhilippeB

New Member
Jul 29, 2010
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Has anyone tried to use contact lenses with fluid google? Does it work well or are you loosing your lenses?

I usually wear contact lenses when I dive with a mask but was thinking of trying fluidgoggles

Thank you
Posted via Mobile Device
 
Not sure that you know but the contact lenses have almost no affect in the water without a mask. The only time that I lost them was on a dive from the 5 meter platform. I occasionally lose one in or out of the water but it's not a big deal for the $1 plastic lenses. Since they're only +1.25, no reason to put them in or take them out when diving, with a mask or goggles.
 
Hi,

When trying to get used to my fluid goggles I too wear the $1 disposable soft contact lenses sometimes. I never lost a lens and I find it more comfortable with lenses in. For me they have no noticeable effect on my vision in combination with fluid goggles. (i.e. same with or without lenses)

- Eric
 
Thank you Eric and Bill for the answer

Whenyou say that the lenses don't have any effect in the water, does it mean that you can see clearly or that the vision is not corrected ( ie, your vision is the same as if you were not wearing lenses out of the water). I wear lenses of - 2.25, so I could dive without correction but better with

Also, I found two types of fluidgoggles: the ones from Liquidvision which seems to be tight around the eyes and keep the fluid in the goggles and the model from trygons where the goggles seem to allow the sea water to circulate in the goggles:

Fluid goggles

Is one model better than the other? The Trygons is much cheaper

Thanks
Philippe
Posted via Mobile Device
 
The liquivision goggle( eric Fattah's) distort the vision underwater but you can see on the surface. The lenses are inside the goggle. Most people seem to get used to the distortion.
I use Kerian Hibb's goggles
Lightening Apnea Goggles [Black/Clear] - 149.00€ : Monofins NZ, Online Freediving Store

these goggles have clear vision underwater - the lens is "inserted in" the goggle rather than inside. William Trubridge, William Winram, and many others use these goggles. I find them very comfortable and I have never lost a contact with them. You cannot see on the surface once they are filled with water but you get used to it.
I have not tried the trygon goggle but since it is a one piece molded design from Herbert's face ;it cannot be adjusted to other face sizes. I have not seen Herbert use this goggle. He wears tiny lenses made for him and a Trygon nose clip.

Kerian's goggles
 

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just to clarify:
I wear contact lenses and they do NOT fall out while wearing Kerian's goggles. There is no distortion underwater . If I didn't have my contacts in;I would not be able to see the tag on the plate !:t

Kerian made me pink ones to match my D4 and neckweight
 

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Thank you Mermaidgirl! That answers my question

Kerian's goggles seem to be great...I will try them!

Have a nice WE,
Philippe
 
Phillippe, what is Your vision?
Reason I ask is because I am interested in how it works, I am -1 astigmatic and I see perfectly clear in my home made goggles.
No contact lenses, so how do You see without them?

With goggles filled I read smallest digits on my gauge both under and above water. Before I got goggles I was just expecting to see the line and plate
Posted via Mobile Device
 
Great! I really like the goggles. I do cnf and it is so much easier to equalize with them. I got the trygon noseclip after I saw Herbert's and my Paradisia fell off at 41m-- and I had to turn early.
William has a mask on in the above photo( VB10) since he is coaching me, but he puts the goggles on for his dives.
Guillaume Nery and Sara Campbell don't wear a mask or goggles but us contact wearers can't do that-!!

Good luck Phillipe,
Carla
 
I'd like to make a few comments. My opinions and observations.

The plastic contacts have virtually the same refractive index as water and in water they have no corrective powers.

Liquid goggles can be made many different ways and usually take a few tries to get working. The position of the lenses is critical to prevent double vision. This is easy to solve by using one lens and drilling holes to let water in and out but most people cannot get used to using one eye under water and the other on the surface. My latest is a pair of open safety glasses with one lens. The idea was shamelessly stolen from Herbert's design.

If the lens is mounted inside the goggle, it works under water and above. Unless the goggles aren't sealed and air enters (either a leak or by design), then you can see on the surface only by looking around or under the lens. If you hold a gauge 2-3 cm from the lens you can still read it but diving with air in a sealed goggle can be dangerous (eye squeeze).

It may not be worth the trouble because the more you dive bare-faced, the better you can see under water.
 
My vision is -2.25 myopia and I use daily B&L soflens (I think the refraction index is around 1.4)

I am not sure what to think... I understand the refraction theory but on the other hand, Carla seems to say that without lens, she would not see a lot underwater and that the lenses improve her vision with fluid goggles.

Carla, have you tried the fluid goggles with and without lenses and do you see a difference?

To add to the discussion, I found an interesting article which says that myopia does improve vision underwater! Contact Lens Spectrum
Posted via Mobile Device

Philippe
Posted via Mobile Device
 
I wear my contacts so I can see my gauge before I get in the water -- I can't read my top time if I don't have my lenses in and I don't want to be messing around taking them in and out while I am diving. Also, I might want to set my alarm or whatever and I need to see.
Like I said, I really like the goggles. I fill them with sea water at the 1min mark prior to top time, put on my noseclip, try to relax ,and get ready for the big breath and go.I can see perfectly underwater. Surface, remove goggles, and I can see normally with my contacts still in.
 

Philippe,

basically my question was down to how do You see in Your goggles without contact lenses?
 
Thank you all for your comments - very useful and it convinced me to try and buy a pair of fluid goggles!

Nostres - unfortunately, I have never tried fluid goggles before, just diving with a low volume mask. I will try the model suggested by Carla and let you know once I receive them

Philippe
Posted via Mobile Device
 
Phillipe,
I think you will like them. As Bill said, you can make them yourself but the alignment can be difficult and I'm not that great with DIY projects. Kerian engineered a special tool so the lenses work properly and he has a source in Asia for the lenses
You only wear the goggles for target dives.During training hangs, safetying others, etc seems like everyone still uses a mask.The goggles are for your deeper dives when you don't want to equalize the mask and equalize hands-free. It only took me about 2 practice dives to get used to the goggles and noseclip and now I am hooked!
 
Contact lenses have no effect underwater. So wearing contacts with fluid goggles doesn't have any effect. It does make wearing the goggles more comfortable and I always wear my contact lenses with my fluid goggles.

Kerian's goggles and the Liquivision goggles use the same lenses. But Kerian's are lower profile (less drag), but you can't see on the surface. The Liquivision goggles are slightly higher drag, but you can see on the surface. Take your pick.

The Liquivision website also allows you to purchase goggles & the Trygons nose clip for a combination discount (Liquivision).
 
Eric invented the goggles and many people use them ( including Eric himself) with the noseclip.It's just personal preference which ones to get. Both goggles work well.
 
Thanks Eric for the clarification. The part that I still don't understand is how can people who needs contact lenses see clearly with fluid goggles, if the contact lenses don't provide any correction once they are in the water? Is the refraction index of the water enough to correct the vision?
 
Not only does the contact lens not work, neither does the lens in your eye that is used to shape the air to saline boundary that makes makes focussing possible. The lenses on the goggles have do it all.
 
I'm a long term contact wearer (shortsighted, 1.25 in right eye 1.0 in left) who's just moved on to fluid goggles (Kerian's) in the last 6 months. I've always worn contacts with my mask as I don't have any problems with them, and in a competitive freediving environment my big concern was always not being able to find the judge when doing my surface protocol or giving the SP to someone else and being DQ'ed as a result.

The type of contact lenses I wear are a silicon disposable lense meant for 2 weeks wear (taking out at night). When I go swimming with no mask, the lense will generally pop out if there is a little movement of water over my eye. Other lenses I have trialled in the past have a higher water content, and i've found that these lose their water content when immersed in salt water and subsequently stick to the eyeball, and whilst this is ok because they don't come off underwater it's very bad when you try to take them out - they really stick.

The first couple of times I wore fluid goggles I also wore my contact lenses and usually lost them after one or two dives (not a cheap option). I then changed to wearing fluid goggles with no contact lenses and there was no difference whatsoever to the vision quality, and further, I could see enough on the surface to make out the difference between judges, safety divers, photographers etc.

The vision with fluid goggles is very good - no double vision, and assuming conditions aren't too dark I could make out the readings on my dive gauge (D3). As Eric said above Kerian's style does not allow for vision on the surface. I've dived in fresh and saltwater and the results are similar.

As a sidenote, just before a max constant weight dive a few months ago one of my lenses popped out. I decided to do the dive anyway and I had no problems with vertigo or getting bearings with one eye working and one eye not. I had a conversation with my opthamolagist a couple of weeks ago and he said it was pretty common for people with 2 dodgy eyes to have corrective surgery on one eye only as the brain adjusts very quickly.

Conclusion? Contact lenses will make no difference to your vision underwater with fluid goggles. Depending on the type of lense they may pop out if you have your eyes open and you'll lose your lense. Unless you need 20/20 vision on the surface try going without the lenses.

Cheers,
Ben

ps if you need clear vision and don't want to take your glasses out with you, get yourself a Sphera mask. If you're short-sighted the Sphera corrects your vision quite well. I only found this out after owning a Sphera for 4 years!
 
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