Posted by . on March 07, 2002 at 03:09:40:
from: http://www.divernet.com/news/
NEW TEST FOR DECOMPRESSION ILLNESS
Doctors at the University of New South Wales Department of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine claim to have discovered a simple method of identifying decompression illness. Research carried out on scuba divers revealed that after every dive between one and three bubbles are visible in the fluid that lubricates the eyeball. These are visible in the tear film in the lower eyelid. In case of divers with decompression illness, between 20 and 30 bubbles can be observed. "We hope that a remote doctor, suspicious that a patient may have the bends, will be able to do a simple, inexpensive examination of the patient's tear film. Based on the number of air bubbles, they will then be able to make a decision on whether the patient needs to be flown out for further treatment," said Dr Bennett, the report's author.
Monday 4 March, 2002