O2 induced myopia (2nd attempt)

John Earle

Aloha Cedric,

We dove together in Vanuatu on the Santos 2006 Expedition. Yesterday I posted a request for information on dive related myopia in my initial entry to this forum in "Introduction".

Following the Vanuatu trip, where I had dives lasting up to 7.5 hours at PO2 of 1.4, I lost one diopter of vision for approximately one month. My eye doctor saw no retinal damage, or other visible change since my last retinal exam a year previously. The doctor could find no information on this phenomena in medical literature.
Following a month of similar diving during April 2007, I am now experiencing a similar myopia. This has not affected either of my dive partners Rich Pyle or Brian Greene, both considerably younger than me.

Bob Cranston, also on the April trip, and closer to my age (65 on June 3) than to Rich or Brian, has also experienced this myopia, as has R. Hall (Bob Cranston, personal comunication). Thus, there would seem to be an age factor here...and you so young, mon ami!

I would be interested in your experiences or the experiences of others. My concern, of course, is the possibility of permanent visual loss, such as in macular degeneration. Pernaps this phenomena should also be brought to the attention of medical specialists for research.

Aloha,
John

narked at 90

Hi john, so far i haven't suffered myopia from a dive but have from chamber treatment after a bend, my eye sight had deteriorated massively after my treatment and didn't improve for at least 1 month after possible a little longer,
one problem i do suffer from now after longish dives is inner ear problems, which seems to be related to higher po2's, i now only do a couple of dives before i cant dive any more because i cant equalise
sort of buggers up any diving holidays.
kind regards john routley

www.narkedat90.co.uk

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divetheworld

Not really mate, seems your ideally suited to a dive holiday in asia with me mate .



B

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narked at 90

sounds like an invite to me mate!??
john

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Hancock

I recently submitted a claim to DAN regarding my HIM. It has been rejected by DAN. DAN's position is that my HIM (if it IS even HIM) is unrelated to diving. I'm very disappointed in DAN. I feel that I presented a very comprehensive case that my severe myopic condition was created by O2 exposure in CCR diving. DAN should state that their insurance is not for all diving related injuries, only some.

tdzao

I actually experienced the opposite of myopia from O2. It was 2005, and I was in the recompression chamber following a freediving decompression accident.

I was at 18m/60ft in the chamber on 100% O2, and I noticed my vision was remarkably good, the best in years. The effect faded once the equivalent O2 pressure was reduced.


Eric Fattah
Liquivision Products