Many animals can see clearly both in water and on land. Some have extraordinary accommodation ranges, and others have developed other strategies. Cormorants and dippers can vary the refractive power of their lenses by 40-50 diopters, compared to about 16 diopters for an average adolescent human. The increased accommodation is due largely to highly developed sphincter muscles which vary the curvature of the front of the lens. Turtles and otters also have very strong sphincter muscles. Variations in lens geometries are used in various species of birds and fish. The short article by James and Laura White opens some fascinating possibilities .
Optics for Optometry