Frequently Asked Questions on Diving Medicine

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column el_class=”page-text”][vc_column_text]There has been no established cause-and-effect relationship between root canals and scuba diving. It is possible that the repetitive action of clenching a scuba regulator with your teeth may have exacerbated an underlying problem. Root canal therapy is generally necessary after a tooth nerve has been damaged from a direct blow to the dental area or the result of decay, abscess, or infection. Most root canals are done in patients who are over 50 years of age and who have had one of these events occur after a lifetime of using their teeth. In the thousands of certified divers over age 50, root canals are rarely reported. In all likelihood, the problem was just coincidental and would most likely have occured even if you had not participated in scuba diving. There is a small risk of infection immediately after a root canal, but once you are released by your dentist, you should have no problem when diving.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column el_class=”page-text”][vc_column_text]There has been no established cause-and-effect relationship between root canals and scuba diving. It is possible that the repetitive action of clenching a scuba regulator with your teeth may have exacerbated an underlying problem. Root canal therapy is generally necessary after a tooth nerve has been damaged from a direct blow to the dental area or the result of decay, abscess, or infection. Most root canals are done in patients who are over 50 years of age and who have had one of these events occur after a lifetime of using their teeth. In the thousands of certified divers over age 50, root canals are rarely reported. In all likelihood, the problem was just coincidental and would most likely have occured even if you had not participated in scuba diving. There is a small risk of infection immediately after a root canal, but once you are released by your dentist, you should have no problem when diving.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column el_class=”page-text”][vc_column_text]Actualmente, la técnica quirúrgica más habitual para tratar las cataratas es la facoemulsificación con implantación de lentes artificiales. La catarata se extrae a través de un pequeño orificio de unos 2-3 milímetros en la córnea y, por lo general, no se necesitan puntos de sutura. Por este motivo, se debe evitar bucear durante los días posteriores a la cirugía de cataratas, ya que el agua, que a menudo contiene microorganismos o patógenos, puede entrar en el ojo a través de una herida sin suturar y provocar una infección intraocular muy grave (endoftalmitis). Si la herida es de solo 2-3 mm, se curará rápidamente y, por lo general, se puede volver a bucear con seguridad al cabo de un mes aproximadamente. Sin embargo, es importante evitar el barotrauma de la máscara, «apretón de la máscara», debido a una falta de compensación de la máscara, que podría reabrir la herida quirúrgica. Dependiendo de la técnica utilizada y del tamaño de la herida quirúrgica, se debe consultar al cirujano. Cuanto mayor sea el diámetro de la herida, mayor será el tiempo de cicatrización. Cualquier complicación durante o después de la cirugía puede prolongar el tiempo de cicatrización de la herida, por lo que, en última instancia, es el cirujano quien determina la remisión adquirida. También se debe evitar el buceo si queda gas en el ojo. Se han descrito casos de pacientes que se han sometido a una cirugía en la que la presión de la máscara no se igualó bien, lo que provocó daños oculares. De hecho, mientras que los fluidos intraoculares son prácticamente incompresibles, el gas intraocular responde a los cambios de presión con cambios de volumen. Los pacientes con IEG no deben viajar en avión, ya que las cabinas de los aviones no están suficientemente presurizadas, lo que provoca un aumento del volumen del IEG. Esto puede provocar el desplazamiento del cristalino y otros tejidos del ojo, con consecuencias potencialmente graves. Del mismo modo, los cambios en la presión dentro de la máscara de buceo provocan cambios en el volumen de gas dentro del ojo, causando dolor y daños internos en el ojo. El gas introducido en el ojo suele ser reabsorbido por los tejidos oculares en el plazo de un mes. Sin embargo, puede tardar meses y está prohibido bucear hasta que se haya demostrado la reabsorción completa de la bolsa de gas.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column el_class=”page-text”][vc_column_text]Currently, the most common cataract surgery technique is phacoemulsification with artificial lens implantation. The cataract is removed through a small hole of about 2-3 millimetres in the cornea and there are usually no stitches. For this reason, diving should be avoided in the days following cataract surgery, as water, which often contains microorganisms or pathogens, can enter the eye through an unsutured wound and cause a very serious intraocular infection (endophthalmitis). If the wound is only 2-3 mm, it will heal quickly and it is usually possible to return to diving safely after about a month. However, it is important to avoid a mask barotrauma, “mask squeeze”, due to a lack of mask equalization, which could reopen the surgical wound. Depending on the technique used and the size of the surgical wound, the surgeon should be consulted. The larger the diameter of the wound, the longer the healing time. Any complications during or after surgery can prolong the wound healing time, so it is ultimately up to the surgeon to determine the acquired remission. Diving should also be avoided if any gas remains in the eye. Cases have been reported of patients who have undergone surgery where the pressure in the mask was not well equalized resulting in ocular damage. In fact, while intraocular fluids are virtually incompressible, intraocular gas responds to changes in pressure with changes in volume. Patients with IEG should not travel by air; aircraft cabins are not sufficiently pressurised, causing the volume of the IEG to increase. This can cause displacement of the lens and other tissues in the eye, with potentially serious consequences. Similarly, changes in the pressure inside the diving mask cause changes in the volume of gas inside the eye, causing pain and internal damage to the eye. The gas introduced into the eye is usually reabsorbed by the eye tissues within a month. However, it can take months and diving is prohibited until complete reabsorption from the gas bag has been demonstrated.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column el_class=”page-text”][vc_column_text]Currently, the most common cataract surgery technique is phacoemulsification with artificial lens implantation. The cataract is removed through a small hole of about 2-3 millimetres in the cornea and there are usually no stitches. For this reason, diving should be avoided in the days following cataract surgery, as water, which often contains microorganisms or pathogens, can enter the eye through an unsutured wound and cause a very serious intraocular infection (endophthalmitis). If the wound is only 2-3 mm, it will heal quickly and it is usually possible to return to diving safely after about a month. However, it is important to avoid a mask barotrauma, “mask squeeze”, due to a lack of mask equalization, which could reopen the surgical wound. Depending on the technique used and the size of the surgical wound, the surgeon should be consulted. The larger the diameter of the wound, the longer the healing time. Any complications during or after surgery can prolong the wound healing time, so it is ultimately up to the surgeon to determine the acquired remission. Diving should also be avoided if any gas remains in the eye. Cases have been reported of patients who have undergone surgery where the pressure in the mask was not well equalized resulting in ocular damage. In fact, while intraocular fluids are virtually incompressible, intraocular gas responds to changes in pressure with changes in volume. Patients with IEG should not travel by air; aircraft cabins are not sufficiently pressurised, causing the volume of the IEG to increase. This can cause displacement of the lens and other tissues in the eye, with potentially serious consequences. Similarly, changes in the pressure inside the diving mask cause changes in the volume of gas inside the eye, causing pain and internal damage to the eye. The gas introduced into the eye is usually reabsorbed by the eye tissues within a month. However, it can take months and diving is prohibited until complete reabsorption from the gas bag has been demonstrated.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]