Eye infections from spitting in mask?

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otter-cat

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In a thread about mask defogging methods in the General Equipment Discussions forum, it was stated that spitting in your mask to defog it can lead to eye infections. Someone else then suggested that a person's spit is sterile to their own body, and therefore should not cause eye infections. Can any of you doctors give me an informed opinion on this issue?

Thanks,
otter-cat:)
 
?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?

Huh?!

It was probobly posted by a defog manufacturer/salesman or someone that was brainwashed by either. The chances to get eye infection from sea water is greater by far than from getting it from any kind of spit (speaking of which- you should spit in the MASK not in your EYES).
 
O-C,
This is the area of med. I teach so maybe I can help. Your spit is not sterile to your body and can cause infections especially if a contact lens is put in your mouth and then put in your eye. However, rinsing the lens after you spit in it lowers the concentration of bacteria. I have never heard of anyone getting an infection from this, and would quess that the risk is real low. However, I have seen contact lens wearers get eye infections from the germs in fresh water. Again, this risk is low but possible.
BTW I spit in my mask if I do not have a defogger.

Lloyd
 
I have found cleaning your mask befor each dive with toothpaste then using an antifog solution is the best. The cleaning with toothpaste is very important.
Lloyd
 
We used to culture up some interesting things from spit in college biology - some of 'em could be pretty nasty if they got into your eyes.
On the other hand, I've been spitting in my mask for... over 40 years now, and have never had any eye infection from it.
Rick
 
I suspect that you'd run a much greater chance of getting a reaction to a defogger than you would using saliva.

Frank Butler, MD (Navy SEAL, Diving Ophthalmologist) has this to say about defogger:

"Reaction to commercial mask anti-fog chemicals leading to blurred vision, photophobia, tearing and spasm of the eye muscles is a major cause of decreased vision after diving. Eye doctors identify this as keratopathy with the slit lamp. This is easily prevented by appropriate rinsing of the mask before use. "

Good things!

scubadoc
 
Brothers & Sisters of Defogging,

Lately all the cows are drooling over the prospect that we will all "Eat mor chikin"!
I'm with Rick Murchison on this one. One caveat is that you take post dive care of your equipment to preclude the growth of the little buggers that can cause problems down the road.

Other than that...Spit! (Practice mask clearing, too!)

Regards,
Lance Gothic
Shibumi
 
Hi otter-cat,

Your saliva can contain micrococci, Staph. albus/aureus, Strep. hemolytica, lactobacilli, coliform & proteus bacilli, spirochaetes, spirillum, actinomyces, Fusobacterium, Candida albicans, Nocardia, Neisseriae, Corynebacterium, Leptotrichia & other infectious microbes. A number of communicable diseases, some serious, can be spread to others by saliva.

Additionally, it is not self-sterile, one of the reasons that ophthalmologists recommend against such practices as using one's saliva to moisten eye makeup or contact lenses.

Despite this, divers have for decades been defogging with saliva and this has never posed a reported health issue. I suspect that the generally low contagiousness of small amounts of saliva in a healthy individual, antibodies a person has acquired to pernicious microorganisms in his/own own body, rinsing of the mask after wetting with saliva, and distance of the lens from the diver's eye reduce the risk of self-infection.

One is probably more likely to get an eye infection from agents in the water in which they are diving, either fresh or salt, than from their own saliva. And, as scubadoc suggests, ophthalmic irritation from improperly rinsed anti-fog chemicals seems more likely than infection from either spit or water.

Whatever substance you use to defog your mask, make sure you rinse very thoroughly after each application. Also, it is prudent to disinfect your regulator & BC bladder on a routine basis. There is no apparent reason that your mask cannot be similarly cleaned, provided that all disinfectant is entirely rinsed from the mask after treatment.

Hope you found this informative.

DocVikingo
 
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ID
 

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