Diving course and lattice degeneration

[westernave]

I've recently completed the confined dives for the PADI Open Water Diver course and am supposed to schedule the final, open-water dives to complete the course.

I also have lattice degeneration in my eyes that's been stable for years now. Before starting the course, I checked with my optometrist to make sure I could still take diving lessons. She didn't seem to have an issue with it, though she probably didn't have a lot of experience with diving, herself.

Now that I know more about what's involved with the course, I wanted to double-check. Some people have mentioned that, as long as one is wearing a mask, then pressure around the eye should be equalized, which should significantly reduce the risk to the eyes. But one of the skills I have to perform for the open-water dives is the emergency ascent, and I'm not sure the pressure inside the mask will be equal to the pressure outside the mask, since I won't be breathing during the ascent.

I contacted the optometrist again, but they said they could find little literature on the subject and suggested I reach out to the diving community. Anyone have any idea if the emergency ascent (or any other portion) of the open-water dives is a significant risk for those with lattice degeneration?

 

[boulderjohn]

First of all, I know next to nothing about the eye issues you are talking about. I only know about the scuba part.

There should not be a pressure problem with the mask. Your mask should have a little negative pressure in it during the dive to maintain the seal. I mean a little. As you ascend, the air in the mask will expand, but any excess pressure is lost because it will simply leak out the seal. You won't notice it.

It is a lot like clearing the ears. As you descend, you have to be careful to add air to your ears to continually to maintain the pressure. When you ascend, you normally don't have to do anything because it leaks out on its own.

I know I add air to my mask to equalize it when I descend because I don't get a mask squeeze. That conclusion is based on logic. I have no awareness of actually doing anything to my mask to make that happen. That's how minor that issue really is.

 

[-JD-]

You won't be "breathing" but you MUST be "blowing bubbles" during any ascent to allow the expanding air to escape from your lungs and prevent life-threatening damage. With your glottis and lips open, and assuming you don't have some sort of structural/inflammatory occlusion, your airspaces (lungs, airway, sinuses and mask space) will maintain ambient pressure.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I've recently completed the confined dives for the PADI Open Water Diver course and am supposed to schedule the final, open-water dives to complete the course.

I also have lattice degeneration in my eyes that's been stable for years now. Before starting the course, I checked with my optometrist to make sure I could still take diving lessons. She didn't seem to have an issue with it, though she probably didn't have a lot of experience with diving, herself.

Now that I know more about what's involved with the course, I wanted to double-check. Some people have mentioned that, as long as one is wearing a mask, then pressure around the eye should be equalized, which should significantly reduce the risk to the eyes. But one of the skills I have to perform for the open-water dives is the emergency ascent, and I'm not sure the pressure inside the mask will be equal to the pressure outside the mask, since I won't be breathing during the ascent.

I contacted the optometrist again, but they said they could find little literature on the subject and suggested I reach out to the diving community. Anyone have any idea if the emergency ascent (or any other portion) of the open-water dives is a significant risk for those with lattice degeneration?

On ascent, the air that is in the mask will expand and vent naturally through the seal of the mask even if you don't equalize the pressure through your nose while breathing. This small pressure differential should be very low-risk. I'd be more concerned about the descent, where if the pressure in the mask isn't equalized by exhaling through the nose, the air in the mask will decrease in volume, which can produce a relative vacuum and cause injury even to healthy eyes in the form of face mask barotrauma. That's the part I'd recommend you take back to your ophthalmologist.
Best regards,
DDM