Red Spots Around Eyes (Burst Vessels?)

[DeepBound]

After diving last night, this morning I noticed lots of red spots in the soft tissue around both of my eyes. They look like burst blood vessels to me.

Could this be dive related (mask squeeze maybe?)

Will it go away on its own?

The dive was 65minutes long, mostly at 30-35 feet with a short dip down to 60ft at one point. I was breathing 32% O2 and did a safety stop.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Deep Bound,

Perhaps this thread just a few spaces down the page will prove informative ---> http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=158881

Helpful?

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Hank49]

After diving last night, this morning I noticed lots of red spots in the soft tissue around both of my eyes. They look like burst blood vessels to me.

Could this be dive related (mask squeeze maybe?)

Will it go away on its own?

The dive was 65minutes long, mostly at 30-35 feet with a short dip down to 60ft at one point. I was breathing 32% O2 and did a safety stop.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

I dived with a guy in Tioman, Malaysia once and when he surfaced, he had no "whites" in his eyes at all. Pure red and he was scaring the local village kids. He never equalized his mask on a 60 foot dive, which I believe is pretty rare because as one equalizes the pressure in the ears, usually some air will squirt into your mask as you release your nose and at least partially equalize the pressure there.
The white returned after a week or so and he had no permanent damage.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Hank,

Generally, bad mask squeeze just makes you look like you're dying. Check out my man Lester ----> http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache...ask+squeeze&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&ie=UTF-8

But, it can have more serious effects like hyphema (bleeding in eye) which does not resolve or causes intraocular pressure to rise dangerously. Fortunately the problems were transient in this diver:


"Orbit. 2006 Mar;25(1):19-22

Orbital Subperiosteal Hemorrhage while Scuba Diving.

Gomez-Ledesma I, Mencia-Gutierrez E, Gutierrez-Diaz E, Alonso-Santiago MA.
Department of Ophthalmology, 12 de Octubre Hospital, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.

Purpose: To report an uncommon case of unilateral subperiosteal hemorrhage while scuba diving involving the orbit, a condition characterized by proptosis and associated severe ocular motility disturbances with displacement of the eyeball.

Material and Methods: Observational case report. Results: Unilateral subperiosteal hemorrhage in a 31-year-old woman while scuba diving at a depth of 20 meters. This was documented by clinical and radiographic examination. Computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a subperiosteal hemorrhage as a self-limited mass protruding into the left orbit. The process resolved without treatment and without visual or motility sequelae. A CT-scan, nuclear magnetic resonance, and conventional angiography did not show any venous abnormalities in the brain.

Conclusion: During scuba diving at a depth of 20 meters, the pressure is three atmospheres, whereas within the diving mask the pressure is one atmosphere if it is not equilibrated; thus, a negative pressure is created within the mask. Small vessels can be broken in the conjunctiva or subperiosteal space by this force. It is important to exclude vascular abnormalities, especially if there is a positive family history."


Remember to equalize your mask space by exhaling into it thru your nose while descending.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[DeepBound]

Thank you, that's the same problem and that thread was very helpful. Next time I'll search a bit harder before posting.
Thanks!
Neil

Hi Deep Bound,

Perhaps this thread just a few spaces down the page will prove informative ---> http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=158881

Helpful?

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Hank49]

Hi Hank,

Generally, bad mask squeeze just makes you look like you're dying. Check out my man Lester ----> http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache...ask+squeeze&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&ie=UTF-8

But, it can have more serious effects like hyphema (bleeding in eye) which does not resolve or causes intraocular pressure to rise dangerously. Fortunately the problems were transient in this diver:


"Orbit. 2006 Mar;25(1):19-22

Orbital Subperiosteal Hemorrhage while Scuba Diving.

Gomez-Ledesma I, Mencia-Gutierrez E, Gutierrez-Diaz E, Alonso-Santiago MA.
Department of Ophthalmology, 12 de Octubre Hospital, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain.

Purpose: To report an uncommon case of unilateral subperiosteal hemorrhage while scuba diving involving the orbit, a condition characterized by proptosis and associated severe ocular motility disturbances with displacement of the eyeball.

Material and Methods: Observational case report. Results: Unilateral subperiosteal hemorrhage in a 31-year-old woman while scuba diving at a depth of 20 meters. This was documented by clinical and radiographic examination. Computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a subperiosteal hemorrhage as a self-limited mass protruding into the left orbit. The process resolved without treatment and without visual or motility sequelae. A CT-scan, nuclear magnetic resonance, and conventional angiography did not show any venous abnormalities in the brain.

Conclusion: During scuba diving at a depth of 20 meters, the pressure is three atmospheres, whereas within the diving mask the pressure is one atmosphere if it is not equilibrated; thus, a negative pressure is created within the mask. Small vessels can be broken in the conjunctiva or subperiosteal space by this force. It is important to exclude vascular abnormalities, especially if there is a positive family history."


Remember to equalize your mask space by exhaling into it thru your nose while descending.

Regards,

DocVikingo

Yep, that picture is exactly what my friend Steve looked like. Thanks Doc.