Flooded mask for underwater and above-water vision

An innovative flooded mask allows seeing both in air and underwater, thus overcoming the drawbacks of commercially available masks. The underwater telescope scheme is applied to a new flooded scuba mask obtaining correct eyesight in both underwater and above-water conditions. Optical design analyses and a test campaign on a sample of free divers have demonstrated that the mask is able to provide a well-corrected vision in both conditions. Three prototypes, with increasing optical performances, have been optically and mechanically optimized and then realized. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America