Glasses Quote by Frances Ashcroft
““Almost all divers wear goggles or a face-mask as without them the eyes are unable to focus underwater and everything appears blurred. This is because when a light ray passes from one medium to another – in this case from air (or water) into the eye – it is bent (refracted). This property is used to help focus the light rays on the layer of light-sensitive cells, known as the retina, at the back of the eye. The extent to which a light ray is bent at the surface of the eye is very much less in water than in air, which makes it impossible to focus the image on the retina. Maintaining an air space next to the eye, by wearing goggles or a face-mask, obviates the problem. But because the light rays will now be refracted by the glass/water interface of the mask, objects appear some 30 per cent larger and closer underwater than they do in air. It may be useful to remember this when listening to divers’ tales of giant sharks.””
About This Quote
Goggles maintain an air space before the eye, allowing proper refraction of light underwater; they also magnify objects.
In simple terms: Goggles keep eyes dry and focus light.
Key Takeaway
Wear goggles for clear underwater vision.
Themes
vision
refraction
underwater optics
equipment
Mood
educational
practical
Type
Glasses:1
Goggles:1
Wearing Goggles:1
Focus Underwater:1
Wear Goggles:1
Goggles Face:1
When to use this quote
- snorkeling
- scuba diving
- underwater photography
Key Concepts
physics
human anatomy
diving safety
Questions to Reflect On
- Why does water affect eye focus differently than air?
- How does magnification change perception underwater?
A Different Perspective
Goggles can fog or be uncomfortable.
![“In the Ridley Scott film 'The Martian' you can do that [virtually driving car]. I have lifted off in the space craft from the surface of Mars, walked in space and looked down into deep space and got terrified, with the headphones and the goggles.” quote by Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2a1/martin-sorrell-10724_can-do_in-the-ridley-scott-film-the-martian-you_1568686.jpg)
