How do you see in tanks?!?!

[Mer-gal]

How do mers see in fish tanks? I have been wondering this for a while and I need to know. I have heard some people wear contacts, but I have also heard that contacts are very dangerous to wear while swimming. Any answers would be much appreciated because I am thinking of applying for a job, as a mermaid, in a tank, with fish.

[Merman Chatfish]

If you are normally short sighted the bending of light in water makes you see normal (20/20) under water. The actresses in H2O would put milk in their eyes to counter the salt water.

[Seatan]

You don't. They are faking it. You just open your eyes and train yourself to look pretty while not actually being able to see things other than a blurred world. Contacts can be dangerous to wear underwater, but there is a whole thread about that.

[AniaR]

unless you buy the very expensive contacts which Hannah claims don't stay in, you don't see. In small portable tanks people tend to keep the water at a level that's easier to see (meaning no chlorine) and most big aquariums have mers swimming in salt water which is a bit easier on the eyes. but you fake it :D

[Winged Mermaid]

I've swam in a large tank (the largest traveling one in the world, 40 ft) and.. you don't :P You see as well as you do under any water, and with tanks, the acrylic is so thick any details from the people on the outside are lost. You just see blurs and recognize them best you can. I know I was really proud of my 2nd swim in the tank because I was able to put my hand up to others hands and return kisses through the acrylic. I didn't see any of the other mermaids do that (besides Moon, the owner of the tank) and they said they couldn't make people out well enough to do it. You just do the best you can!

[Mer-gal]

Wow thanks for those tips.
flyer2002- I think I will try the milk thing and see if that works.
if that doesn't work I will fake it.
Thanks for replying everyone!

[PearlieMae]

I'm not sure putting milk in your eyes is a completely healthy thing to do.

[AniaR]

yeah the h20 girls talked about using a specific type but I think it was like milk of magnesia. it wasn't that exact thing but was a "milk of" and they didnt specify what

[Merman Chatfish]

I just found this that Claire Holt from H2O said

The trio, with the assistance of the set nurse, discovered that a few drops of full-cream milk in their eyes meant that the chlorine in the water tank at Sea World wouldn't burn as much."The chlorine starts to sting when you have to keep your eyes open underwater for a while and we tried a lot of things, but the milk in our eyes worked a treat," Holt says.
"It was a trick I used in water polo but I never thought of it for H2O and the nurse was researching on the internet and she suggested we try a few drops of milk, but it had to be full-cream milk."

http://www.australiantelevision.net/h2o/articles/youngtalent.html

[Mermaid Wesley]

And yes that can be bad for your eyes.


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[Merman Chatfish]

And yes that can be bad for your eyes.


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It is?

[Mer-gal]

I was thinking it over last night and there is probably a lot of bacteria in milk and that could be harmful to eyes.

[Vrindavana Starfish]

I put milk drops on my eyes once after I'd been swimming in chlorine for a whole day, and my eyes were beet red and I was in pain. The milk certainly took the stinging away. Something about the ph of the milk neutralizing the chlorine in my eye or something. It worked, but I'd rather not have to put milk in my eyes, ever. I don't think it would be any kind of solution for long-term. And it doesn't help you see any more clearly IN the water, only after you've been swimming in chlorine.

[Miyu]

...well, technically there's a lot of bacteria in the air and water... :p But yes, using things that are not specifically sterilized to be used directly on your eyes could be pretty dangerous... seeing as how you're already not supposed to use most makeup (not designed for eye use) even directly NEXT to your eyes. I mean, I recently got a stye (just healed finally OMG) from using mascara that ma have been a little old (I got it from Morti, who I know for a fact keeps her makeup clean and sanitary, since she's a MUA - so it was simply from the fact that mascara is probably the grossest makeup ever and shouldn't be kept more than 3 months for sure)

I'm trying to keep my eyes open (LOL) for a pair of goggles that don't look stupid in the water - some look near-invisible underwater, but they're expensive and take some work to use. I really hate the idea of opening my eyes in chlorine water (without goggles), as there is always the risk of infections (um, pool water is disgusting) and eye injury. It's one of the reasons I'd love to have just a small tank like Trina's, so I can still do the "underwater mermaid eyes", but not run so much risk to my peepers.

[Vrindavana Starfish]

If you're just needing goggles for swimming and not necessarily performance, I just got a pair of Aquasphere Kayenne goggles, all transparent. They are the only goggles I've ever worn in my entire life that don't leak because of my cheekbones. I even have trouble finding a dive mask. But, they were $20 on amazon and no leaks, no complaints, no stinging eyeballs. After being a lifeguard, I would never want to swim in a public pool without goggles. Gross. I know what goes on in them, and I wish I didn't.

[Mermaid Wesley]

If you're in a mermaid tank the other thing to consider is non-chlorinated water. Since the tank won't be full for a long time you can just put in fresh water and you won't have the stinging eye problem.


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[Echidna]

After being a lifeguard, I would never want to swim in a public pool without goggles. Gross. I know what goes on in them, and I wish I didn't.

ugh, yep.
Lots of stuff that doesn't die immediately (cryptosporidium anyone?), and clueless guards who think poolwater is sterile when you tell them what you found on the bottom
:thumbdown:

I will never swim without goggles in public pools again.
Lakes aren't the safest place to go open-eyed either though :/
I half admire, half fear for all the brave souls I see swimming without potection pretty much anywhere, because human eyes weren't meant to go into water :p

I also have a problem finding non-leaking goggles or masks because my face is narrow and my cheekbones high.
It's a pain!
Why oh why didn't they put those diving contact lenses on the market?

As for performances; I close my eyes.
That's crappy for tanks though, and waving to audience I guess.
If you can, get your own tank and fill it with freshwater (but not when you're living in the braineater-bug country! :p ).

[Merman Chatfish]

As for performances; I close my eyes.
That's crappy for tanks though, and waving to audience I guess.


Ever do that creepy makeup where when you close your eyes it looks like they are open? Strange thing with me is my right eye is fine in the water...I cannot open my left eye.

[Miyu]

I get around the whole "mermaids can open their eyes underwater" thing the same way I get around the whole "mermaids breathe underwater" thing (I can barely hold my breath) - my "mersona" was human, then got turned into a mermaid because of her service to the ocean (being an eco-crusader). :p

Pretty much all my goggles I've tried leak, I have a head the size inbetween small adult and large child :eye twitch:

[Merman Chatfish]

oh oh! Miyu just gave me an idea. At least in pools you can tell children that merfolk are use to salt water. Just like you can't put a salt water fish into fresh water, you can't put a salt water merperson into fresh water. And even better for pools, tell them that the chlorine used in the pool to keep it clean for everyone is especially hard on mers. Just like their eyes sting when they open their eyes so do ours so we choose to wear goggles. We want our eyes to be healthy. The chlorine also makes it hard/dangerous to breath underwater so we instead use our lungs to come up for air which is cleaner and safer. Because the water is so harsh for us we can only spend so much time in the water, thats why when we can we get carried around or have to get out after an hour or two (whatever your booked for).

[Kaila Mermaid]

I also read an article somewhere about part of the reason for blurred vision underwater was the pupil dilating due to lower levels of light, causing blurred vision. I wonder if those that are light sensitive normally have an upper hand due to not needing as much light. I know I'm just nearsighted underwater but can generally see fairly well.

Unless, of course, we're talking about seeing OUT of the tank, then ya got me beat. Lotsa faking.

[OceanWhisper]

oh oh! Miyu just gave me an idea. At least in pools you can tell children that merfolk are use to salt water. Just like you can't put a salt water fish into fresh water, you can't put a salt water merperson into fresh water. And even better for pools, tell them that the chlorine used in the pool to keep it clean for everyone is especially hard on mers. Just like their eyes sting when they open their eyes so do ours so we choose to wear goggles. We want our eyes to be healthy. The chlorine also makes it hard/dangerous to breath underwater so we instead use our lungs to come up for air which is cleaner and safer. Because the water is so harsh for us we can only spend so much time in the water, thats why when we can we get carried around or have to get out after an hour or two (whatever your booked for).

Flyer2002, that's a great way of explaining it :D anything to help with being able to protect yourself from chlorine is useful

[Mer-gal]

OceanWhisper- OMG typing at the same time!!!!

also, wow! lots of comments! So basically i am left with the option of faking ability to see or faking the ability to see.

[OceanWhisper]

Pretty much! good luck with it :) hope all goes well

[MermaidCelesteFL]

I have personally done the "rinsing eyes with milk" thing when I got out of a tough water polo tournament. It does take the stinging and the redness away from getting chlorine in your eyes, but I wouldn't use that on a regular basis. Stick to eye drops if you come out of the pool with red, stinging eyes. That's why my eyedrops are always in my mermaid bag.

[Arella]

I've swam in a large tank (the largest traveling one in the world, 40 ft) and.. you don't :P You see as well as you do under any water, and with tanks, the acrylic is so thick any details from the people on the outside are lost. You just see blurs and recognize them best you can. I know I was really proud of my 2nd swim in the tank because I was able to put my hand up to others hands and return kisses through the acrylic. I didn't see any of the other mermaids do that (besides Moon, the owner of the tank) and they said they couldn't make people out well enough to do it. You just do the best you can!
I was able to do the kiss thing and the hand thing (only the hand thing when kids actually decided to put their hand on the glass) at the Michigan Ren Fest this year. It was a blast but yeah my eyes were burning when I come out after each shift :(

[Winged Mermaid]

The tips in the how to deal with chlorine's effects thread (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?4402-How-to-deal-with-chlorine-s-negative-effects) for eyes also works for freshwater (with grit issues) and saltwater as well. I brought both the eye gel and the rinse to swim in the tank and the mermaids couldn't thank me enough because it helped so much, and the tank was freshwater too. There's still stuff in freshwater that can hurt your eyes, so I advise always having your eye help products on hand.

[Echidna]

Ever do that creepy makeup where when you close your eyes it looks like they are open?

know what?
that's a fintastic idea!
I can do a slit-snake-eye make-up, even.

(And I never wave/kiss to an audience, I glare at them, and maybe show my fanged teeth, so that's perfect haha)

[Talia]

oh oh! Miyu just gave me an idea. At least in pools you can tell children that merfolk are use to salt water. Just like you can't put a salt water fish into fresh water, you can't put a salt water merperson into fresh water. And even better for pools, tell them that the chlorine used in the pool to keep it clean for everyone is especially hard on mers. Just like their eyes sting when they open their eyes so do ours so we choose to wear goggles. We want our eyes to be healthy. The chlorine also makes it hard/dangerous to breath underwater so we instead use our lungs to come up for air which is cleaner and safer. Because the water is so harsh for us we can only spend so much time in the water, thats why when we can we get carried around or have to get out after an hour or two (whatever your booked for).

That's what I tell them when they ask. I say that my eyes are meant for salt water, and chlorine hurts them, so that's why I use goggles. I am not swimming without them not even for my mer-persona; my eyes lasting me all my life are more important. I already have enough health troubles with them as they are to begin thinking about pool infections. The only moment I am not using goggles is to make a short video. That is all.

I have not had the problem with breathing underwater. I cannot last long from an adult point of view (20-30 secs) but I guess for a child that barely holds his breath for 5 secs that must seem like forever!

[Talia]

I also read an article somewhere about part of the reason for blurred vision underwater was the pupil dilating due to lower levels of light, causing blurred vision. I wonder if those that are light sensitive normally have an upper hand due to not needing as much light. I know I'm just nearsighted underwater but can generally see fairly well.

Unless, of course, we're talking about seeing OUT of the tank, then ya got me beat. Lotsa faking.

I had my eye doctor telling me that human eye was designed to focus the images it receives only on air, and while underwater, the image is projected far behind the place where it should be (the retina), and that's why we see blurred, because we cannot focus.

I envy marine mammals. Their eyes can focus both under and above water. :sad eyes:

[Mer-gal]

I envy marine mammals. Their eyes can focus both under and above water. :sad eyes:[/QUOTE]

I agree

[Coradion]

I'm loving these explanations of mer science. Even if they're not what I would imagine. You can train yourself to see better underwater. I'm nearly blind without glasses on land, but my underwater vision is somewhat corrected. Opening your eyes underwater and being comfy with it just takes practice.

[AniaR]

The eye gel is amazing. I find I see better with it in too. I just talk to my eye doctor about what is safe and she send rinsing my eyes along with the gel is best.

Ravens tank is clean freshwater that goes through a filter and is changed. It's easier to see through the tank glass in fresh from what I hear from those who do it. I don't find it that hard to see in fresh or salt through glass. Def depends on how much glare is on the glass for me. One of our pools has windows and if it is not sunny I'm good but if sun shines through the underwater window from the other level I can't see

[Miyu]

Wow, Raven's water sounds so clean :swoon:I'd really love to have a filter for my tank water (once I manage to get one), I've been really wondering about how safe it would be to just soak my eyes in random water from a hose, LOL! Because I'm one of those people that I'm sure I'd manage to catch something at a festival or something because of it :p I like the idea of smaller tanks just so it's easier to switch out the water every day, haha!

Raina, you are so lucky, your pool sounds way more awesome than my local pool!

[Azurin Luna]

I was able to 'see' pretty well in fresh and salt water, but chlorinated water just gives me big blurs and it hurts my eyes. I don't know if I still can see underwater that well as I haven't been in fresh water for a long time. What helped for me was not trying to focus on the object but kinda look like you would look to stereoscopic pictures, it sounds odd, but this way I was able to see more details underwater. I don't know if this trick also works in a tank though.

[Mer-gal]

Azurin Luna- I am for sure going to try your tip.