[Tonometry and pachymetry to evaluate fluctuations of intraocular pressure in the context of SCUBA diving]. / Tonometrie und Pachymetrie zur Erfassung der Augeninnendruckschwankungen beim Scuba-Tauchen.

BACKGROUND: It is currently still not clarified whether diving using a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCUBA) is associated with intraocular pressure (IOP) fluctuations of clinical relevance and whether intensive diving could exacerbate the damage in glaucoma patients. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of SCUBA diving on IOP in healthy volunteers without prior eye injuries or surgery. HYPOTHESIS: recreational diving does not lead to significant increases or fluctuations of the IOP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 16 divers (5 female) who performed a total of 96 dives with air or nitrox32 to a depth of 20-30 m for an average of 50 min. The central cornea thickness was measured using ultrasonic pachymetry Pocket IITM (Quantel Medical Pocket II™, Quantel Medical, Clermont-Ferrand, France), and the IOP was measured using an Icare® PRO (Icare® PRO, Icare Finland Oy, Espoo, Finland) directly before the dive and 10 min after surfacing. RESULTS: All data refer to the right eye. Average IOP values ranged from 15.6 to 19.2 mm Hg pre-dive and 16.8 to 18.2 mm Hg post-dive. The range of IOP values was 2.2-11.5 mm Hg pre-dive (∆ = 9.3 mm Hg) and 2.7-14.8 mm Hg post-dive (∆ = 12.1 mm Hg). Of the divers 11.5% vs. 18.8% had increased IOP values > 21 mm Hg (pre-dive vs. post-dive). CONCLUSION: This study found no significant differences in IOP values between pre-dive and post-dive measurements in healthy SCUBA divers. Therefore, recreational SCUBA diving is unlikely to affect the IOP in healthy individuals.