Ruptured blood vessels in eyes

[Daryl Morse]

On the weekend, I met a diver who had badly ruptured blood vessels in her eyes. The lower portion of the white of her right eye was swollen and bright red. It looked like a blood blister. The lower eyelid was also swollen. She had a similar rupture in her left eye, but it wasn't as large.

She said that she didn't equalize her mask, but she also indicated that she had an out of control buoyant ascent from 30 fsw. She descended for several minutes after surfacing. She had no other signs of injury.

Was that injury a form of DCS or could it have been caused by the pressure differential of an unequalized mask?

 

[jbd]

On the weekend, I met a diver who had badly ruptured blood vessels in her eyes. The lower portion of the white of her right eye was swollen and bright red. It looked like a blood blister. The lower eyelid was also swollen. She had a similar rupture in her left eye, but it wasn't as large.

She said that she didn't equalize her mask, but she also indicated that she had an out of control buoyant ascent from 30 fsw. She descended for several minutes after surfacing. She had no other signs of injury.

Was that injury a form of DCS or could it have been caused by the pressure differential of an unequalized mask?

I've seen some pictures, that look pretty horrific, of people that experienced mask squeeze. Not sure of the depth they were at though. From what you describe it sounds like mask squeeze and not DCS.

 

[archman]

I agree with jbd, sounds like mask problems due to rapid ascents/descents. I've had students blow blood vessels in their eyes before, though nothing like this. An uncontrolled ascent from 30 feet to the surface is the worst possible place to have one. That's a difference of roughly 1 atmosphere, bleah!

 

[Daryl Morse]

If the problem was caused by equalization as opposed to DCS, I guess it it must have occurred on the decent, effectively a vacuum in the mask. Ouch.

 

[jbd]

If the problem was caused by equalization as opposed to DCS, I guess it it must have occurred on the decent, effectively a vacuum in the mask. Ouch.

Thats exactly the mechanism of injury--pretty much a big hicky of the face

 

[Diver0001]

I had ruptured blood vessels in the eyes from allergies once. My eyes were swollen and itchy from hay-fever and I never thought about it before I went diving. In fact the dive seemed to help and my eyes felt better when we surfaced than when we started......Until the funny looks started.....

The worst part was after several days when it started looking like hepatitis instead of a street fight.

R..

 

[drdiver1952]

On the weekend, I met a diver who had badly ruptured blood vessels in her eyes. The lower portion of the white of her right eye was swollen and bright red. It looked like a blood blister. The lower eyelid was also swollen. She had a similar rupture in her left eye, but it wasn't as large.

I had something similar happen to me with a class. A student was leaving the platform on his tour and he kicked me square in the mask with his fin, mashing it up against my face and releasing it. Didn't hurt at the time and I paid no notice to it, until I got home and looked in the mirror. Probably would not have happened if he had kicked the mask off.

 

[scubasean]

I agree with jbd, sounds like mask problems due to rapid ascents/descents. I've had students blow blood vessels in their eyes before, though nothing like this. An uncontrolled ascent from 30 feet to the surface is the worst possible place to have one. That's a difference of roughly 1 atmosphere, bleah!

I'm not sure I follow you...The uncontrolled ascent would relieve the pressure of a mask squeeze, right? (unless the mask somehow got overpressured due to the mask strap not allowing air to leave the mask)

An uncontrolled descent would certainly be a possible cause of a mask squeeze...

 

[Lloyd]

It is not a mask squeeze from ascent. I would worry about the possibility of a blown out ethmoid sinuses from barotrauma. Does the tissue sort of crackle when she touches it? I would have it looked at by a eye doc.
Lloyd
This is general information not specific medical advise

 

[STOGEY]

Mask squeese happens on descent not ascent.