strange eye blood shot after a dive!!

[aboalreem]

I just met a brand new diver who took class with us, and she did her open water in the caribbian. I noticed her eye ball was like blood shot....she said after she dived she got almost the whole white in her eye just total blood.!!!!
She said that she has no problem at all interms of equalizing...OK the doctor said this is common in scuba diving!!!!!and the instructors should have told you!!!!this shocked me becasue I have never seen it happen...any body has any explanation for the red eye!!

 

[diveon]

Hi aboalreem,

Your friend has failed to equalize the air spaces in the mask resticting the blood flow around the eye when the water pressure increases as she dives deeper. This is what we normally call mask squeeze. One very simple steps to prevent it is to made small exhalation thru nose when you start to feel the mask sucks on your face.

One last point to note, never over tighten the mask. Just let it sit on your face. The water pressure will hold it in place. Hope that helps.

DiveOn,
EZ

 

[pfriedel]

Mask squeeze. Reduced pressure in the mask causes the capilaries in the sclera to burst, giving an incredibly bloodshot eye. There's a nasty picture of an extreme case out there somewhere. It's pretty easy to forget to equalize the mask space if you aren't paying close attention to it.

 

[Fred R.]

The bloodshot eye is most likely caused by mask squeeze. It is not uncommon, but should be less common than it is.

It is caused by failure to equalize the pressure in the mask, which should be done by a simple exhalation from the nose every ten feet of descent or so.

 

[do it easy]

I make a point to exhale out through my nose after I equalize my ears- it keeps me ahead of the mask squeeze.

 

[justleesa]

YUP, classic mask squeeze....might be a bit too tight too

 

[Walter]

Easy to avoid. There's no reason anyone should ever have a mask squeeze.

 

[Loneranger]

Does not sound like it was too bad or both eyes would have been blood shot. Ugly looking when it happens!

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Pfriedel, is this the story you were thinking of?

I put this picture (with proper credit) in my open water lecture powerpoint presentation to show the students what a mask squeeze looks like. I even emailed Paul "just for fun" as he stated on the website and received a nice reply from him.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Barracuda2]

Pfriedel, is this the story you were thinking of?

I put this picture (with proper credit) in my open water lecture powerpoint presentation to show the students what a mask squeeze looks like. I even emailed Paul "just for fun" as he stated on the website and received a nice reply from him.
Ber :lilbunny:

Man, next Holloween I'm gonna get me a pair of those!!:eyecrazy: