KevinNM
Contributor
Not arguing, just trying to figure out the mechanism.
Nitrox Myopia (Open-Circuit Hyperoxic-Induced Myopia)
- Thread starter Trace Malinowski
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OP
Kev, I really wouldn't worry about this. It's very rare even in rebreathers. I've always been somewhat oxygen sensitive. I've had CNS tox in the past. I honestly think as more and more research is done on the eye and oxygen there will be a greater correlation between aging and aggressive dives, meaning multiple dives over multiple days. I'm betting if ocular oxtox turns out to be a a more common phenomenon than we once thought that simply taking a day off either midweek or every 3 or 4 days during lengthy trips will be sufficient. For most every diver hit with it, the oxtox resolves itself. If my problem turns out to be oxygen rather than cataract development then I'll bet any permanent change would be due to not allowing the eyes time to resolve the myopic shift before hammering them again.
scuba5150
Contributor
Very nice original post, and as someone mentioned, you are great at making the topic very understandable.
I wonder if any of your doctors had an opinion concerning the effect that your vitrectomy may have had on your increasing myopia???? As I understand, the vitrectomy can have complications including cataracts (that you say are developing), and effects on the retina including retinal tears or retinal detachment.
I just wonder what the effect of the vitrectomy may have had regarding pressure changes that you experience with diving. I'm not sure what your eye doc did, but if the vitreous fluid was replaced by saline (as is oftentimes done in surgery for floaters), then it seems the saline would respond differently than the vitreous fluid to the pressure changes associated with diving and could contribute to the problems you're having????
I wonder if any of your doctors had an opinion concerning the effect that your vitrectomy may have had on your increasing myopia???? As I understand, the vitrectomy can have complications including cataracts (that you say are developing), and effects on the retina including retinal tears or retinal detachment.
I just wonder what the effect of the vitrectomy may have had regarding pressure changes that you experience with diving. I'm not sure what your eye doc did, but if the vitreous fluid was replaced by saline (as is oftentimes done in surgery for floaters), then it seems the saline would respond differently than the vitreous fluid to the pressure changes associated with diving and could contribute to the problems you're having????
OP
Update: My vision when looking at distances inside my house (from one side of a room to another or from room to room) seems to have gone back to my previous Rx. Long distances still favor the newer Rx after a month.
Scuba5150, you bring up an interesting point which also may be related to the age of many of those reporting ocular oxtox. As people age the vitreous tends to liquify. Perhaps this liquification which is more common in those who are middle aged or elderly, but possible in younger divers, may allow for a different response within the eye. But, the current science points to the lens. I'm not sure how much that would be affected by the vitreous?
Scuba5150, you bring up an interesting point which also may be related to the age of many of those reporting ocular oxtox. As people age the vitreous tends to liquify. Perhaps this liquification which is more common in those who are middle aged or elderly, but possible in younger divers, may allow for a different response within the eye. But, the current science points to the lens. I'm not sure how much that would be affected by the vitreous?
OP
Vision seems to be back to the RX it had been prior to the trip.
Good news!
Kevrumbo
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That's great Trace!
I've got two more weeks to get in as many dives as I can before my Keratoplasty Surgery (Cornea Transplant Left Eye) --then I'll be out of the water for three to five months ... :-(
(Anybody wanna rent my Sierra X-scooter, double AL80's, deco tanks & regs for 3 to 5 months?)
OP
Truly wishing you the best with that, Kevin, and I'll pray that all goes well.
beanojones
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Is there any thoughts on how much contacts have to do with this?
Kevrumbo
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Keratoconus x40 years is the underlying disorder; the only way to correct the severe astigmatism for normal 20/20 was with Hard Contact Lenses.
Unfortunately the abrasive effects of the hard rigid gas permeable lenses take a toll on the cornea tissue as well (even with "piggy-backing" a cushioning soft lens beneath, which became very inconvenient) over the past 40 years. And just the unpredictable nature of the Keratoconus Disorder itself --sometimes the cornea tissue & shape thins out and steepens quickly like my Right Eye (Cornea Transplant 23 years ago); or now with my Left Eye, recovering from an internal tissue delamination (Corneal Hydrops) with fluid & scar tissue occluding my vision for the past three years --but needing a full transplant to replace the old diseased defective tissue.
(Not sure if Scuba Diving and the pressure effects/inert gas loading had a negative influence or factor on the disease state. . .)
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