Eye Bleed and Diving?

[MASS-Diver]

The other day, I took a blow to the eye (not diving related). There was a lot of blood in the conjunctiva (sp?) of my eye so I went to the doc. She said the blood would be reabosorbed in 3-4 weeks and that it was no big deal. She was clueless about diving, and only said "don't take an NSAIDs today."

Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[gert7to3]

I am an ophthalmic photographer, not a doctor.

Getting your eye checked was the best move you could have made. Did you see an ophthalmologist or internist?

You got the spelling right on conjunctiva. The blood is liquid, thus incompressible, so there won't be any pressure issues. Assuming there is no tear or laceration to your conjunctiva, your eye should be as sealed against the environment as it is normally.

Some things to watch for after blunt trauma to the eye:
Check for obvious cuts and debris in the eye.
Are your eyelids opening and closing the same in both eyes?
Do your eyes track the same way, like following the end of a finger?
Are your pupils the same size, shape and responding the same way to light?
Is your vision the same in each eye?
Is there distortion, spots, double vision, light sensitivity, etc. in the injured eye?
Is your cornea clear?
Is the lens clear (visible through the pupil)?
Is there anything visible in the pupil? This would be like fibers or a crescent shape.

 

[ciret]

Contact DAN, and ask a medic.

http://diversalertnetwork.org/index.asp

 

[plainsong]

Blood in the conjunctiva...Is that the same as blood in the white of the eye?

 

[MASS-Diver]

Blood in the conjunctiva...Is that the same as blood in the white of the eye?

yes

 

[DennisW]

As Eric said, contact DAN, they can give you advise on whether or not to dive, or direct you to a physician that knows about diving.

 

[plainsong]

yes

Then, fwiw, I suffered a very similar injury a long time ago. My doctor (ophthalmologist) also wasn't too concerned about it. He was more concern about the hairline facture of my orbital bone. He made me equalize (pinch my nose, close my mouth and blow) to see if air was leaking into my eye socket. He prescribed "steroid" and told me to check back with him 3 - 4 weeks later. I didn't scuba back then so I didn't ask him any scuba questions, and he didn't say anything that I shouldn't do once the crack healed.

 

[Lloyd]

Were you dilated? When ever you are hit in the eye, you should be dilated to check for retinal detachment. You also need gonioscopy to check for angle recession which increases your risk of glaucoma. As for as the subconj hem goes, if you get a mask squeeze, it will really look bad since it will rebleed. As for as damage goes to the eye, if all you have is a subconj bleed, no problem.
Lloyd