Orbital hemorrhage following face-mask barotrauma.

A 41-yr-old female recreational diver suffered an orbital hemorrhage following face-mask barotrauma This case illustrates the potential for significant orbital injury to occur as a result of face-mask barotrauma Barotraumatic orbital hemorrhage is an unusual disorder, but recognition of this entity is important for diving physicians. The signs and symptoms should not be mistaken for decompression sickness or arterial gas embolism. Patients with barotraumatic orbital hemorrhage require emergency referral to an ophthalmologist so that potentially vision-threatening ocular complications may be identified and treated. Barotrauma may result in several different types of cranial neuropathies and should be recognized as another possible cause for neurologic deficits following a dive.