Lost your contacts lenses when diving?

[DevilDiver]

Have you ever lost your contact lenses when diving? If so, how did it happen and what did you do?

I do wear contacts but I have never lost a set when diving. I have wondered what I would do though and thought I (and others) could learn from others thoughts and expierences.....

Thanks!!

[Kokomo]

I have never lost mine but I always carry an extra pair with me.

[dallasdivergirl]

I hope never to have that happen. I do carry spares & a backup mask in a pocket in case something ever happens to mine.

[Diver Kat]

200+ dives and never lost a lense yet ... but I do always carry spares with me!

[WestTnDiver]

I wear gas perm lens and have never lost one diving. I lost a few swimming when I first got them at age 16 - many years ago. Due to advancing age, I have recently gone to bifocal contacts. When I took a rescue class this summer I was afraid some of the exercises would dislodge a lens - the instructors really wanted everyones masks! I got a pack of one day disposables and always keep them on hand and use them for night dives as the bifocals don't work well in low light for me.

[TRACI]

I have never lost any contacts while diving, but I always make sure a bring plenty of extra pairs with me just in case

[LMM1967]

I've lost 1 but that was after a dive splashing water on my face with my mask off - no problems under water but like everyone else I always am sure to have spares.

[Saipandiver]

I haven't lost them, but I wear soft contacts, and have had them tear while wearing them on a dive. Not only is it extremely painful to leave them in when torn, but it can do some serious damage to your cornea. Because I was hesitant to take the contact out and be blind for the rest of the dive, I foolishly left it in. I got a corneal ulcer as a result, which deteriorated my vision even further in that eye, and took several weeks to heal.

I have now bought a prescription mask, and always have it in a spare pocket just in case I have another malfunction with my contacts. You can get good prescription masks that you can continue to change out the lenses in when your prescription changes very affordably these days. If you can't see good enough to finish a dive without your contacts should something happen to them, it's just foolish to not have a prescription mask along with you as a back up. Hope my story helps a few of you to avoid a similar situation.

[obrules15]

I have never lost one, even during the mask off excercises in training but I always carry a spare pair and a prescription mask.

[julz]

i wear soft lenses and have never lost one or had one tear while diving.