Eye pain at shallow depths

[dwhee]

Re-posting from the introduction thread, since I was told I might get better responses here:


I'm from southern Illinois and I'm new to the forums. I don't get to dive much, being from the midwest, but I've been certified for a couple years. However, the last dive I did was part of my certification.

Currently I'm in sunny Nevis for a week and I have already had some trouble getting down to any depth at all before I've even got my tank and gear. I just went snorkeling out by one of the reefs near St. Kitts, and it seemed like every time I got down to shallow depths (5 m or so) I was having some major pain in my left eye to the point where I couldn't keep it open. I've been told that it's probably a sinus issue, but I haven't had any sinus problems recently.

The pain concerns me because I recently failed a preliminary glaucoma test and missed the follow-up due to a wisdom tooth operation. I'm 20, so it's unlikely I have glaucoma, but I do have large optic nerves. I also had 4 wisdom teeth pulled 6 weeks ago, if that's relevant. All of this is making me nervous about going on any dives, if I can't handle even very shallow depths. Anyone know if I should be concerned?

 

[livewire]

I'm no doctor, so I have no medical advice for you and can not answer the question about whether you should be concerned. However, I do have a simple question... Are you equalizing your mask on descent?

Without equalizing your mask, the pressure in this air cavity will build upon descent, adding unwanted pressure to your eyes. This is why you should never dive in swim goggles, since there is no way to equalize the pressure in those air spaces. With a dive mask however, you can use your nose to exhale into the mask to regulate and balance the external pressure with the internal pressure and hopefully relieve the pressure on your eyes.

Sorry if this is an obvious one!

 

[John_B]

IANAD, but when I had severe eye paid behind the eye it turned out to be a sinus issue. I couldn't descend beyond ten or fifteen feet, it felt like an ice pick in the back of my eye. The term was called sinus squeeze. I didn't have a lot of congestion at the time either. Since then I've been doing sinus irrigation which has turned out to be very helpful. So far so good considering the alternative is to have the old sinuses roto-rootered. That does not sound appealing in the least. FWIW, sinus irrigation is not something I'd ever do when someone else was around. Yuck!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

dwhee,

I am not a doctor or oral surgeon...and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. One possible complication of wisdom tooth extraction is sinus damage. In many instances, only a thin layer of bone separates the roots of the upper wisdom teeth from the maxillary sinuses. I have heard of some procedures during which a small opening was made between the sinus and the oral cavity. If this did occur, your oral surgeon should have sutured the area closed, informed you of the complication, placed you on antibiotics +/- decongestants, and told you to refrain from Valsalva maneuvers until everything has healed up. In the setting of this complication, if you Valsalva while equalizing, I could see how it could be quite painful -- with pain referred to the eye region. Perhaps a quick phone call to your oral surgeon (or whoever extracted your wisdom teeth) might shed some light on the matter. Another option is to call DAN.

In the meantime, if you're desperate to try diving/snorkeling, it might be worth experimenting with different methods of equalizing. Try swallowing or just moving your jaw forward (my favorite). Lots of scuba instructors only teach the pinch-the-nose-and-blow-gently Valsalva technique.

Hope this info helps. Good luck and dive safe.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Without equalizing your mask, the pressure in this air cavity will build upon descent, adding unwanted pressure to your eyes. This is why you should never dive in swim goggles, since there is no way to equalize the pressure in those air spaces. With a dive mask however, you can use your nose to exhale into the mask to regulate and balance the external pressure with the internal pressure and hopefully relieve the pressure on your eyes.

@livewire: That's a good thought. Novice diver, hasn't dived in 2 yrs. If the OP experienced pain in both eyes, then I'd be more inclined to believe that the pain was related to mask equalization. However, since the OP experiences the pain in only one eye (the left one), I think that it might be something else.

 

[Thadmn]

I knew a guy a long time ago who had the same problem. It turned out to be a sinus problem from having a cold. He said it felt like someone driving an ice pick up his nose through his eye. It ended up going away after a while.

 

[fisherdvm]

Hey, the eyes are too precious to wait. Get it checked by an opthalmologist to be sure. I am not an opthalmologist, but what others have said about referred pain from the sinus or tooth sounds likely. But it might be God's gentle way of telling you to have your eyes check. Last I checked, OEM eyeballs are no longer manufactured.

 

[DandyDon]

I think it was my suggestion on Intros to ask here. I'm sure that fisherdvm is a fine dermatologist with other good ideas and his suggestion certainly sounds prudent. As others have suggested, it could be related to mask squeeze even on one eye, or sinus, or dental, or maybe you descended too fast, or maybe you equalizing technique didn't work. A good ENT would be a prudent idea, I think - but keep checking back. We have other physicians with different talents who post here when they can.