Eye squeezes, vitreous floaters from goggles ?

[scubabdref]

Not quite diving, but this seemed like the likeliest forum. Since I started regularly swimming in a 25m pool a couple months ago, including occasional breathhold swims along the bottom at around 5ft, I've had two instances of sudden-onset visual floaters and flashes, one in each eye, including a minor bleed in one per the ophthalmologist.

I use a high-quality eyes-only goggle, i.e. no opportunity for equalization. The instructions say don't submerge below 2 meters. Considering that I'm a certified diver, am I being a stupid * and the mask is causing squeezes down at 2m which are applying pressure to the eyeball and causing the vitreous to pull on the retina etc. ?

Put another way, are retinal/vitreous problems an endemic issue among diving communities with primitive eyes-only goggles as standard equipment ?

 

[chillyinCanada]

May I ask what vintage you are?

 

[scubabdref]

May I ask what vintage you are?

thank you. old guy, born in 64. (also, tall, blond & nearsighted (~-7 diopters both)). Yeah, I know, some doctors will say "what do I expect". A lot Is that where you're headed ? Old eyes, old vitreous, stuff happens ? I just don't want the presumed underpressure in the goggle space to be contributing.

 

[dcvf2]

Hi Scubadref

You know the phenomena very well.

Strange that you try to transgress the physical laws.

Replace your goggle by a low volume mask goggle with nose pocket

=> File:Cressi minima.JPG - Wikimedia Commons

And compensate the mask by blowing in it.

Or respect the instruction notice of your goggle.

 

[jonhall]

Sounds like a question to be addressed to a diving eye doctor. Do we have one on SB?

When I started coaching and teaching swimming in the late 70's, one of the most common things to see in the pool were kids diving to the bottom of the deep end with swim goggles on. One of my mantras to the kids was, "do not to wear goggles below a couple of feet because pressure around the eye can't be released." There were many times kids would get out of the water after a while with red rings around their eyes and sore eyes. The message got through to some kids.

Although 2m is the maximum depth indicated in the instructions (I had to find a pair around the house that still had instructions as I thought 2m sounded too deep), the instructions don't say how long it is safe to maintain that depth with goggles on. Instructions will also indicate goggles can be used for competitive swimmer starts but competitive swimmers aren't staying at depth. Saw a study of intraocular pressure increasing just by putting goggles on for different periods of time and returning to normal after taking them off - no depth involved.

I used to tell the kids diving into and swimming below the surface in deep water (we played a lot of sharks and minnows) with goggles on was like smoking. One cigarette may not hurt you but when you keep adding the effects of one after another, bad stuff can happen to your body. Wearing goggles below a few feet may not hurt you the first time, but day after day the effects may catch up to you. I probably gave them some scenario like tiny blood vessels could pop in their eyes. Of course I had no scientific proof, but it sure seemed logical to me.

Put another way, are retinal/vitreous problems an endemic issue among diving communities with primitive eyes-only goggles as standard equipment ?

I wonder how many other divers on SB do as you do and swim at 5 ft. depth wearing eyes-only swim goggles that can answer this question ? Not having seen (although I haven't looked) a lot of info regarding retinal/vitreous problems when wearing swim goggles, I would say it is not an endemic problem, but would like to know if there are studies that prove otherwise.

sudden-onset visual floaters

This, along with blurriness, is what happens with me looking at the computer screen for too long!!!!!!!!

 

[scubabdref]

thanks folks! My bad/my duh. ScubaBd is great, answers by the end of the morning...

 

[uncfnp]

Not specific to you but might have some useful info...

Eye Hemorrhage

Mask squeeze can cause hemorrhage on the white of the eye.

 

[Soggy_Diver]

thank you. old guy, born in 64. (also, tall, blond & nearsighted (~-7 diopters both)). Yeah, I know, some doctors will say "what do I expect". A lot Is that where you're headed ? Old eyes, old vitreous, stuff happens ? I just don't want the presumed underpressure in the goggle space to be contributing.

Hi,

-7.00 diopters is in the range for "high myopia." People with high myopia are at increased risk for outcomes such as retinal tears and detachments. I'm not an eye doctor, but I've been living with this myself. I played underwater hockey for years, but eventually quit because I got a retinal tear immediately after a tournament. I attributed it to the fast, repeated changes in pressure. Might be worth talking to an ophthalmologist about this.

 

[scubabdref]

Not specific to you but might have some useful info...

Eye Hemorrhage

Mask squeeze can cause hemorrhage on the white of the eye.

yeah, I had one of those when we went snorkeling the second time off a boat and I tried diving down. I had forgotten about equalizing after getting certified 16 yrs earlier and then not diving, and so my eye whites turned red from the bottom to about halfway up. Stupid stuff. As usual, fortune protected me.

 

[WeRtheOcean]

Remember what goggles are for: competitive swimmers (surface), for protection against chlorine. I wouldn't wear them snorkeling.