Lily Miller If you’re anything like me, you love swimming in the ocean. However, can you see without a mask when you’re underwater? It’s important to know if you can open your eyes in the ocean because I do it all the time. However, many people are concerned that if you do open your eyes in the sea, it might sting your eyes.
So, can you open your eyes in the ocean?
You can open your eyes in the ocean, and surprisingly, the saltwater doesn’t sting, but without a mask, the water is very hazy. But if you open your eyes in the ocean while sand is present in the water, your eyes could suffer harm or even be permanently damaged.
For more information, keep reading.
Table of Contents
Can You Open Your Eyes In The Ocean?
The short answer is yes, you can open your eyes in the ocean. Your eyes won’t be harmed by pure ocean water. A small amount of stinging from the salt occurs, but it quickly goes away. Some people refer to this as eye irritation from ocean water.
However, you are more vulnerable to getting water-borne pathogens in your eyes. Personally, I’ve never experienced an eye infection, and I frequently open my eyes in the water. This raises the question of whether saltwater is healthy for eyes. After all, one of the best treatments for eye infections is saline. The problem is that saline contains only water and sodium chloride, or salt as it is also known. The ocean is full of bacteria and other elements. These might be harmful.
After a day of snorkeling or scuba diving, we advise rinsing your eyes. By doing this, you can get rid of the bacteria in your eyes and stop them from infecting your eyes.
How To Get Your Eyes To Open Underwater?
It might be challenging the first few times you try to open your eyes underwater. I recall initially having a reflex not to open them. Therefore, I advise opening them very slowly in a small body of water to start. Squinting at first, then slowly opening each eye. This will help you adjust to it and better handle the stinging.
In Chlorine Water: Can You Open Your Eyes?
Swimming pools come to mind when we discuss chlorinated water. In swimming pools, chlorine is used to prevent the growth of bacteria and algae. Although prolonged contact with chlorinated water is not recommended and some people may react to it, it generally has no negative effects on your eyes.
In A Saltwater Pool: Can You Open Your Eyes?
Salt is converted into chlorine in saltwater pools through a process known as electrolysis. Since they are less harmful to scuba diving equipment, these pools are typically preferred as scuba diving pools and have a tendency to smell less of chlorine. The same rules apply as when you open your eyes elsewhere.
Does Saltwater Damage Your Eyes?
Your eyes won’t be harmed by saltwater from the ocean itself. There are additional marine organisms that can irritate or infect the eyes. Consider the potential items that could be present.
You know how saltwater is good for your eyes? It’s how we heal eye infections and even hydrate our eyes. What makes the water in the ocean any different?
Only water and sodium chloride (salt) are required to make saline, which is used to treat eye conditions. The ocean is home to a wide variety of bacteria that could seriously harm your eyes.
Overall, you should have no trouble opening your eyes in the ocean. However, remember to rinse out your eyes with clean water when you’re done being in the ocean for the day to wash out any “bugs’ and bacteria that could be lingering around your eyes and face.
Why Do My Eyes Dry Out From Salt Water?
In comparison to your eyes, saline solutions, and even your tears, the ocean contains more salt. They dry out your eyes and produce that stinging sensation as a result of drawing the water from them.
How Do You Open Your Eyes in Salt Water?
Make sure to slowly open your eyes rather than opening them wide.
First-timers should carefully squint when opening their eyes underwater. Even opening each eye separately might be a good idea.
You might discover that you can’t immediately open your eyes fully underwater. This is due to the likelihood that you will feel compelled to keep them shut out of reflex!
Any discomfort you experience, though, will subside. The more you practice, the faster the stinging will go away.
The science behind being able to see underwater is also well-documented. If you want a more comprehensive response, it’s definitely worth reading up on. Consider reading about the Moken tribes of South East Asia, who have lived at sea for countless years. The newborns have nearly perfect underwater vision!
Can You See Clearly After Opening Your Eyes Underwater?
Now that you know the answer to can you open your eyes in the ocean, you might be wondering what it looks like? I can tell you from experience that opening your eyes underwater produces a very blurry and brighter-looking image.
Take a look at the picture on the left as it would appear underwater to the unaided eye. It is hazy, making it difficult to distinguish any details. The right-hand image seems clearer and nearer to the viewer. The same scene was seen through a mask in this case.
Regarding the cause of this, let’s not get too technical. In essence, light rays are refracted by a camera lens or by our eye to focus. These travel through the air first, then a lens-functioning liquid in our eye. When light rays travel through one medium and then another, their refractive index changes. In order to see clearly in the air, our eyes can prefocus an image thanks to this. By adding a pocket of air, a mask enables our eyes to work similarly. However, it distorts the image, making it seem 25% closer and 33% larger.
Since seawater and the liquid in our eyes almost have the same refractive index, if we try to see underwater with the naked eye, we lose the ability to pre-focus an image. Underwater, where light is absorbed, our eyes must dilate to allow more light to enter, this phenomenon is demonstrated by the need to do so. Wider pupils allow light rays to enter the eye at greater angles, blurring the image even more.
It’s interesting to note that some people have underwater vision that is more than twice as good as the average person’s. The Moken people are referred to as such and are mainly found in the Andaman Sea between Thailand and Myanmar. Children in the Moken tribe have mastered the art of controlling their pupil dilation, which allows them to focus light rays more precisely and, as a result, see more clearly underwater. See more about Can You Drive With Dilated Eyes?
Is It Harmful To Open Your Eyes In The Ocean?
If the ocean’s water is clean, opening your eyes underwater won’t hurt your eyes, but you still need to be cautious because the oceans aren’t always clean. Because of how delicate your eyes are, bacteria and viruses in the water can infect them. But because of the action of the waves, sand is mixed with the water in the surf zone, and if it gets in your eyes, it can scratch the surface of your eyes.
However, despite the fact that I frequently open my eyes in the sea and struggle to see clearly because of the blur, neither the salt water nor any infections have ever burned or infected my eyes.
Why Is It Painful In The Ocean To Open Your Eyes?
When you open your eyes in the ocean, it may hurt. The salt content of the water is the reason why this may happen. This is due to the fact that the salt in the water causes your eyes to dry out and sting as it draws water from them.
Can Ocean Water Cause Eye Infections?
Providing it is clean, it is uncommon for sea water to cause infections. In the beginning of my diving career, I did experience one or two eye infections, but that was because I was wearing monthly contact lenses. After switching to daily newspapers, I never experienced the issue once more.
Make sure you’re not swimming in contaminated or dirty water if you do want to see the water beneath you clearly without wearing eye protection.
Although salt will help protect people from bacteria to some extent, you should always be aware that the vast ocean still has its share of nasty surprises!
It is possible to contract an infection from seawater, but it is incredibly uncommon. When you get out of the water, thoroughly rinse with fresh water.
Why Does Opening Your Eyes In The Ocean Hurt?
Because the ocean contains more salt than your eyes do, opening your eyes in the water causes temporary discomfort. Your eyes dry out as a result of the water being drained from them, causing that stinging discomfort.
In The Ocean, How To Keep Your Eyes Safe?
Wearing swimming goggles or a diving mask is the best way to keep your eyes safe in the water. It will also allow you to see underwater, as it is very difficult to see anything without a diving mask or swimming goggles.
With Contacts, Can You Open Your Eyes Underwater?
The ocean water will probably wash your contact lenses out of your eyes if you open your eyes while wearing them, so it is not advised.
Opening your eyes in the ocean may prevent you from losing your contacts, but it’s still not advised because contact lens wearers are more likely to experience eye irritation because the lens rubs against the surface of the eye.
What Happens If You Open Your Eyes In The Dead Sea?
Since the Dead Sea has a very high salt content that is much higher than that of the oceans, opening your eyes there would cause your eyes to burn or sting extremely badly. To stop the burning and avoid causing any harm to your eyes, you should immediately flush any Dead Sea water out of your eyes with fresh water.
Can You Open Your Eyes In A Chlorinated Pool?
In chlorinated swimming pools, you can open your eyes, but like in the ocean, everything will be blurry. However, prolonged exposure to chlorine can dry out your eyes, and some people may have adverse reactions. It is not advised to expose your eyes to chlorine.
Why Can Marine Life See In The Oceans But People Cannot Without A Mask?
Fish can see underwater because they have eyes that are built to function underwater, as opposed to human eyes, which are built to function in the air. Fish can see underwater for this reason, whereas without a mask, humans can only see hazy images.
Before you go, you may be as fascinated as I was when I found out what fish eat sharks. What Fish Can Eat Sharks is the first of three incredible videos in this article that show other fish consuming sharks whole.
Conclusion
It’s possible that you’ve heard that swimming in the ocean prevents you from opening your eyes, but is this really the case? You’ll be relieved to learn that there are risks associated with opening your eyes while swimming in the ocean.
Yes, you can open your eyes while submerged, but it’s not as straightforward as just doing so to see. For pain and discomfort to not be felt, you must first equalize the pressure in your ears.
You’ll be able to take in the scene once you learn how to equalize and open your eyes underwater. Can you open your eyes to the ocean? I’m hoping you’ll get the idea.
Please post a question in the comments if you have any.
