Eyesight

I've been short sighted since I was 12 and need single vision glasses to see distant objects clearly.

Since diving I've used daily soft contact lenses which worked well but didn't address the astigmatism (non-uniform cornea shape) for which my glasses are optimised. Not a big problem but I found it harder to read (gauges, camera, etc.). Having said that, for diving they were the most convenient for me. I could wear them all day, I didn't have to take my glasses with me, I could keep spare lenses (the individually packed 'dailies' take up next to no room) and I didn't really care if I lost one.

As an instructor I have to demonstrate mask skills (remove & replace underwater) so in order to keep my contacts in place I could only open my eyes a little which doesn't inspire confidence in the students. I've always fancied the idea of laser surgery and it was for this reason I finally bit the bullet. I had the op in October 2006 and had to stay out of the water for 3 months but the effect was immediate, painless and trouble free.

Pros/Cons from a diving point of view

Glasses: Correct any astigmatism / Won't fit inside mask, fragile.
Contact Lenses: Fit in mask, can wear ordinary (cheap) sunglasses, can carry spares, easy to store / Slightly harder to see close objects, apt to lose them if mask floods or missing (e.g. during no-mask swim).
Prescription mask: Good UW vision / Expensive, not brilliant out of the water, no backup if damaged.
Laser Surgery: Pros as per contact lenses / cost, 3 month recovery period and you may not be suitable.

My vision for reading is going downhill too which can't be corrected by surgery so I will need a custom mask after all.

On the subject of expensive glasses (Yup. Gripe coming up..) I'm was really fed up with paying over the odds for a pair of frames. I don't mind the glass/other material being expensive because that's the bit that's custom ground to my specification, It's the £150 for a few bent pieces of metal to stick 'em to your face. I've recently discovered that a British university student felt so strongly about this that he started his own web-based shop supplying complete glasses to your prescription from £15. His name is James Murray Wells and his shop is glassesdirect. He's kicked up a bit of a storm with the high street opticians - read some of the press releases on his website.

I have no experience of hard contact lenses so offer no advice.