Sclera contacts in water?

[gay-mermaid]

I heard the reason why yoy cant wear contacts underwater is because they would fall out into the water, which makes sense. But would you be able to wear sclera contacts underwater? Or is there a problem with chemicals and bacteria in the contacts?

[Keiris]

I have some black sclera lenses but have never tried them in the water. The very large size would help as they actually fit under the lids instead of just floating. on top of the iris. You lose some peripheral vision with them which is probably worse underwater but for photo shoots, who cares.

[TybeeMermaid]

I usually wear my contacts in the water but there's always a risk of losing them. I've lost a couple of pairs a few times. It usually happens if I open my eyes too much or if I'm swimming too fast. Normally, I either bring my glasses or an extra pair of contacts in case I lose some while swimming.

I don't think the brand or type of contact really matters. There's pretty much always a risk of losing your contacts if you swim without any goggles.

[gay-mermaid]

I usually wear my contacts in the water but there's always a risk of losing them. I've lost a couple of pairs a few times. It usually happens if I open my eyes too much or if I'm swimming too fast. Normally, I either bring my glasses or an extra pair of contacts in case I lose some while swimming.

I don't think the brand or type of contact really matters. There's pretty much always a risk of losing your contacts if you swim without any goggles.
I always thought it was for sure they would float away, thanks!!!

[gay-mermaid]

I have some black sclera lenses but have never tried them in the water. The very large size would help as they actually fit under the lids instead of just floating. on top of the iris. You lose some peripheral vision with them which is probably worse underwater but for photo shoots, who cares.
Thats what i was thinking! Since they go under the eyelids, it should stay in?

[Slim]

Sorry to ask a question within your thread but does wearing contacts while swimming makes the eyes not as red and blurry from the chlorine after a swim?

[Keiris]

Contacts will not inhibit the redness from chlorine because they are porous in order for the eye to breathe and the soft lens to be sterilized. Plus, they really cover only a very small part of the eye and not the whites at all. Full size scleras are a bit larger than a quarter and cover the entire front of the eye, fitting under the upper lid and beneath the lower lid. Much better chance for them to stay in than a traditional contact and since they are meant to cover the entire eye they would cover the redness.

[Merman Storm]

If contact lenses can be worn underwater, then there is the possibility of using them to get better vision underwater by using Presbyopia contact lenses. These work like pinhole cameras, or like how you get a large focal range when you set a camera to a high f-stop.
https://www.ec21.com/product-details/PINHOLE-Presbyopia-Lens--9740530.html

[MermaidLiara]

I'm dreaming of the day someone invents contacts that are suitable for underwater - I don't wear glasses or contacts, but it would be neat if masks were no longer needed, and if contacts protected your eyes sufficiently from chlorine and salt water.

[Yeka]

I have never worn Sclera lenses in water, but can confirm that contacts are easy to lose in water. I lost a pair in a wave pool when a kid splashed me in the face. :(

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[MermanOliver]

I'm dreaming of the day someone invents contacts that are suitable for underwater [...]

Actually, there have been trials for such lenses already. Around the year 2000 there have been experiments by a man called Rainer Holland on special lenses enabling you to see underwater without a mask. They were intended for freedivers (Benjamin Franz for example was referenced) and underwater models and, as far as I can recall, were really expensive and cumbersome to use, but all I heard was that they actually worked.

There still is a web page describing them (unfortunately in German, don't know if there are English informations out there): http://www.unterwasserwelt.de/html/sehen_unter_wasser_4.html

I'm not sure if they are made/sold now, as I've never heard of them again since then.

[Mermaid Kane]

Actually, there have been trials for such lenses already. Around the year 2000 there have been experiments by a man called Rainer Holland on special lenses enabling you to see underwater without a mask. They were intended for freedivers (Benjamin Franz for example was referenced) and underwater models and, as far as I can recall, were really expensive and cumbersome to use, but all I heard was that they actually worked.

There still is a web page describing them (unfortunately in German, don't know if there are English informations out there): http://www.unterwasserwelt.de/html/sehen_unter_wasser_4.html

I'm not sure if they are made/sold now, as I've never heard of them again since then.


A dream for Rainer Holland, the passionate diver and contact lens wearer, has long been to make lenses that make it possible to see underwater without a mask. The target group for this idea were initially only UW models, which in his opinion have a much more relaxed facial expression and also a significantly increased expressive power while posing because they no longer look aimlessly into the blurred environment. However, the project failed for a long time because there was no suitable production facility for contact lenses with as high refractive power, as it is necessary for this was available. Two coincidences brought this idea back to the center of the current development: Rainer Holland found a manufacturer for special lenses of German origin in Sicily and he met the apnea diver Benjamin Franz know. In keeping with Benjamin's goal of striving for depths beyond 100 meters, this was the impetus for the concrete development work of Rainer Holland.

First, the calculations had to be done for the lenses, a difficult task, since the usual formulas were not sufficient for this. But the approach to the actual necessary refractive power and the dependent architecture of the lens, so its size and shape, succeeded, so that a first pattern could be commissioned. The soft lenses with over 230 D (!) Refractive power, Benjamin Franz let after the test in a swimming pool in Hamburg only speechless amazed. An optimized version was used in the 30-meter deep dive tower of the German Navy, which is normally used for the training of submarine driving.

Thus equipped Benjamin Franz did not use a mask during his dives in the Red Sea, which led to the German record in the apnea discipline "No Limit". It was found, however, that due to the rapid descent speed generated by the sled, it was not possible to dive with open eyes throughout the descent. But the view of the instruments was realizable and the rise was also much safer, because he could clearly see the safety divers.

Now, the use of contact lenses for models in the next stage is to be realized. One thing is to be considered. The use of currently available lenses requires accurate preparation for insertion and adjustment of the lens to the eye prior to each dive. Thus, after insertion, the lenses must "swell" for some time to adhere to the eye. This is done by wearing swimming goggles that have been flooded with germ-free fresh water. The possible dive time is currently given with about 20 minutes, before the tight fit of the lenses can relax. After the dive, the lenses on the eye must again swell for a few minutes in fresh water, so that they can be removed.

As this technology is still in its infancy, it is to be expected that the possible dive times can be extended with new materials and the procedure of preparation and follow-up will be simplified.

In contrast to the conventional soft lenses, which, as already described, are subject to only a very small risk of loss, is dipped in the special lenses with really open eyes, so that the eyelids can not exert any protective effect on the lens seat.

​There you go. :)

[Yeka]

I really hope the technology turns out to be viable, I would love to be able to see in the water. Right now, Lasik is my only hope lol.

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[Merman Storm]

There are three ways to do contact lenses that work underwater. The method in the article above is one: Make a lens that is sufficiently strong to correct your vision. I wonder if Rainer Holland's version had the correction lens cover the entire pupil, or just a small area in the center. Contact lenses are made that had a center zone that corrects for near vision (like reading glasses do), and outer zones for intermediate and far vision. A lens like that, with the center designed to correct for being underwater, would give you good vision both above and below the surface. It would also be a lot less bulky than one designed to cover the entire pupil. With less bulk, maybe all the prep work described in the article would not be needed.

Another method would be to essentially put a very small swim mask into the lens. This would be an air filled cavity that is flat in front and curved to your eye in the rear, built into the lens. I saw a post saying this had been tried, but the link given was broken. T hey would still work out of the water.One issue I see is the contact lens cannot be soft. It has to be stiff to keep the shape of that cavity even with depth changes. It also has to be strong, so as to not be crushed.

The final way is the pinhole contact. These may be commercially available. Ive seen hints that they are, but not found a source. They would not give you the best underwater vision, but it would be an improvement. Also, they would still work out of the water.

Finally, I saw a post that said that you can learn to close your iris at will, getting the same effect as the pinhole contact. But, I saw nothing about how.

[MermanOliver]

... I wonder if Rainer Holland's version had the correction lens cover the entire pupil, or just a small area in the center. ...
As far as I understood, the lenses did indeed just correct a quite small area in the center. Combined with the price tag, the complicated handling and some other issues that might have been one major reason why they didn't really take off.

[Mermaid Persephone]

I'm hoping to try this out soonish. I almost always wear my contacts in water and have lost them exactly once (both lenses on the same swim-- I was in my Mythic and swimming rather fast, which I think is what did it). I feel like sclera lenses will stay on much better, since they fit under the lids. I'm supposed to receive mine soon and will hopefully try them out this weekend.

[gay-mermaid]

I'm hoping to try this out soonish. I almost always wear my contacts in water and have lost them exactly once (both lenses on the same swim-- I was in my Mythic and swimming rather fast, which I think is what did it). I feel like sclera lenses will stay on much better, since they fit under the lids. I'm supposed to receive mine soon and will hopefully try them out this weekend.
Oo!! Please update when you try this!!