Diving Goggles
By: Amith

Water as a medium, being denser than air, offers a higher amount of ‘refraction’ which causes distorted vision under water. A good example of this is to place a spoon inside a glass half filled with water – you will see that the spoon appears to be bent; this phenomenon occurs due to the difference in density of water and air which are the two media in which we view the spoon. As expected, divers and swimmers also experience similar distortions in vision and for this purpose, most diving goggle prescriptions are designed for wet use and to either magnify if the diver suffers from farsightedness or minimize if the diver has nearsightedness. However, owing to the magnification offered by water, when a pair of prescription diving goggles are worn underwater, the visual acuity that the wearer experiences is complicated and the quality of vision cannot be matched with what is available above the water surface. Hence, divers who need to wear corrective lenses on land often find that the quality of vision underwater is enhanced by the use of prescription eyewear that is designed specifically for wet use.

While there are several devices that are available for improving visibility while under water, they are often found wanting when compared with visual acuity outside water. Due to the way water alters the way light travels underwater, at times even divers with ordinarily perfect vision encounter distortions and vision problems. In such cases, Double-Dome diving goggles which differ from traditional flat diving goggles, and thereby provide a broader range of view; the lenses are designed to eliminate underwater vision distortions. Prescription diving goggles can work in one of two ways: either the entire lens area will be formed of a prescription lens, or else the prescription lenses are inserted in between the mask and the diver’s eyes. Diving goggles can also be made specifically to your measurements and correction, or they can come pre-made in a prescription that is similar for both the eyes. In case you use contact lenses, ensure you use a mask with a tight seal when you are in the water if you would like to avoid nasty infections caused by microscopic waterborne organisms that can get trapped in the lens. Instead, you could use a pair of prescription diving goggles so that you don’t need to wear contact lenses while in the water. The lenses in swimming as well as diving goggles are usually made of glass, acrylic and regular ophthalmic plastic or even polycarbonate.

Diving goggles which are designed for scuba diving or snorkeling are usually large and have a square shape. Soft rubber often surrounds the outside areas of the mask so as give a snug fit against the face and thereby provide a watertight seal. Foam skirted diving goggles are very comfortable to wear owing to the soft cushioning the foam provides, however these tend not to last too long since the soft foam is seldom durable. Instead, hard rubber or silicone linings to provide cushioning from the hard diving goggle edge are better than the foam gasket type in terms of durability. These diving goggles usually come up high and span across the forehead and dip down low, generally, right down to the bottom of the nose. It is advisable to use one of these diving goggles to protect the eyes from chemicals or floating objects present in the water that might harm the eye.

Like all other products, diving goggles have also undergone changes in design and style in a bid to improve usability, and one has a wide range of brands and models you can make a choice from.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com

Ms. Cherian is a highly respected writer and she writes about goggle and all her research about them on her website which deals on gogle and other eyewears.

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