Tonometry and pachymetry to evaluate fluctuations of intraocular pressure in the context of SCUBA diving

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 II (TM) (Quantel Medical Pocket II (TM), Quantel Medical, Clermont-Ferrand, France), and the IOP was measured using an Icare (R) PRO (Icare (R) 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 ( increment = 9.3 mm Hg) and 2.7-14.8 mm Hg post-dive ( increment = 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.