Greetings, and an eye question

[dwhee]

Hey,

I'm from southern Illinois and I'm new to the forums. I don't get to dive much, being from the midwest, but I've been certified for a couple years. However, the last dive I did was part of my certification.

Currently I'm in sunny Nevis for a week and I have already had some trouble getting down to any depth at all before I've even got my tank and gear. I just went snorkeling out by one of the reefs near St. Kitts, and it seemed like every time I got down to shallow depths (5 m or so) I was having some major pain in my left eye to the point where I couldn't keep it open.

This concerns me because I recently failed a preliminary glaucoma test and missed the follow-up due to a wisdom tooth operation. I'm 20, so it's unlikely I have glaucoma, but I do have large optic nerves. It's making me nervous about going on any dives, if I can't handle even very shallow depths. Anyone know if I should be concerned?

Sorry if this is a lengthy and inappropriate introduction. Nice forum you fellas got here. Feel free to re-direct my post.

 

[Bob Vincent]

Hi ...

& Welcome to ...
:sblogo::colouredsmilies::colouredsmilies:

You need to call DAN NUMBERS ARE IN MY SIGNATURE.

 

[DandyDon]

Howdy and Welcome to SB.com!

Also post your story in Dive Medicine forum here on SB. Sounds like sinus, but the physicians who post on the forum can tell you better.

Click Forums at the top to start checking all the choices, and try our feature. Hope you enjoy your time here. Click my Username to PM me if I can help? Helpful Hint: I have UserCP bookmarked as the page I go to first when I come onto SB.

don
[c]

[/c]

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Currently I'm in sunny Nevis for a week and I have already had some trouble getting down to any depth at all before I've even got my tank and gear. I just went snorkeling out by one of the reefs near St. Kitts, and it seemed like every time I got down to shallow depths (5 m or so) I was having some major pain in my left eye to the point where I couldn't keep it open.

This concerns me because I recently failed a preliminary glaucoma test and missed the follow-up due to a wisdom tooth operation. I'm 20, so it's unlikely I have glaucoma, but I do have large optic nerves. It's making me nervous about going on any dives, if I can't handle even very shallow depths. Anyone know if I should be concerned?

dwhee,

I second what DandyDon said. Re-post your question in the "Diving Medicine" forum. You'll get plenty of hits there...especially for something that is most likely sinus squeeze.

Of course, the best advice would be to consult a physician familiar with dive medicine. Even if it is sinus squeeze, a relatively benign condition, you may have other medical issues (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, thyroid disease, allergic reactions to certain meds) which could impact treatment options. Another possibility is to contact Divers Alert Network (DAN). Even if you're not a registered DAN member, DAN will give you great advice, i.e., whether your condition is serious enough to seek immediate medical attention.

If you are a young, healthy person with no other medical issues (the positive preliminary glaucoma test is concerning, depending on which test was performed), then you could probably just use your favorite nasal spray decongestant (Afrin or equivalent) + Advil or Tylenol for pain. You may even supplement with pseudoephedrine (30mg/every 6 hours for no longer than 2-3 days) unless you have any of the contraindicated conditions specified on the box. Take the Afrin no longer than 3 days. Staying on this particular med (oxymetazoline HCl) for extended periods can result in rebound congestion. Whether you want to risk diving is up to you. Without proper treatment, if it's sinus squeeze, the pain will probably intensify the deeper you go. If you descend very slowly, you might be able to tolerate the pain. Then, when you ascend, expect your mask nose pocket to have some blood in it.

I would recommend talking to DAN about this. If DAN recommends seeing a physician, then by all means find a physician that can investigate the cause of your pain.

Have fun and dive safe...or not at all until your sinus congestion resolves.

 

[dwhee]

Thanks for the responses guys. I re-posted in the diving medicine forum as per your suggestion. The consensus seems to be that it's a sinus issue. This seems reasonable enough except that I don't have any sinus problems whatsoever when I'm out of the water. I talked to a friend of mine who said that he had gone on a few dives while he had increased sinus pressure and had an experience like the one Bubbletrubble described- it was very painful at depth and he came up with a bloody nose each time. However, it sounded like he expected it to happen before he went diving, and did it against his better judgment. I've got no sinus pain at the moment.

Anyway, thanks for the help. Re-direct your replies here please, if anyone has anything to add:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/diving-medicine/245607-eye-pain-shallow-depths.html