Can You Wear Contacts While Scuba Diving?

Scuba diving is an activity that doesn’t require perfect vision, but it can still be done with contact lenses. The two most common solutions are prescription glasses in your dive mask or soft prescription contact lenses. When scuba diving, water can come into contact with your eyes, increasing the chances of infections, irritation, and vision damage. Contact lenses can trap bacteria and open up a world of underwater wonders.

If you wear contacts or glasses, it is safe to scuba dive with them as long as you remove them before entering the water. However, it is better to get prescription lenses for your mask. For diving, always wear soft contact lenses as hard contact lenses are gas-permeable, allowing gas to pass through your eye. Nitrogen bubbles can form between your lenses and your eyes, causing blurry vision, discomfort, and even eye pain.

Soft contacts are suitable for swimming or diving in the pool, but they should be worn under swimming goggles or a diving mask. DAN (Divers Alert Network) recommends only using soft lenses when diving, as they allow nitrogen to escape. Diving with contact lenses offers a vision close to the natural underwater experience, but there are no underwater contacts.

Snorkeling while wearing regular contact lenses is also possible, but you need to wear a snorkel. One of the commonly asked questions by divers and snorkelers is whether it is possible to dive while wearing contact lenses. With the right precautions, you can enjoy every dive in clarity and discovery.