Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026
Quantitatively Measuring In situ Flows using a Self-Contained Underwater Velocimetry Apparatus (SCUVA)
Published on: October 31, 2011
[Macular functions in professional divers]
V M Peyraud-Gilly1, P Daubas, T Joly
1Service d'Ophtalmologie, Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Sainte-Anne, F 83000 Toulon Naval. valerie.peyraud@waika9.com
Purpose:
Air diving is frequently practiced by professionals or sportsmen. Controversial data exist in the literature on the existence of retinal abnormalities in divers.
Patients And Methods:
18 divers (aged: 27-58y) who dived around 2000 times in their life were studied: half of them dived only with air while the others used an O2-enriched gas mixture (40 to 60%). None of them had presented a bend (decompression sickness). Visual acuity and ocular fundus examination have been explored. A quantification of color vision and central visual field, so as a fluorescein angiography have been performed.
Results:
No alteration of visual acuity was noted; abnormalities in the color vision and the visual field are reported; however the angiographic lesions described in the literature have not been observed.
Discussion:
The alterations of color vision were quite severe but not very frequent. No correlation was found with any characteristics or type of diving.
Conclusion:
These observations are comforting for sportive divers who do not dive very often nor very deep but an individual predisposition is suspected.
