Epilepsy and diving

[simonwig]

Hi

Regulations in many countries of the world in relation to scuba diving and epilepsy stop anyone who has epilepsy from diving until they are seizure free and off medication for five years.

I work for Epilepsy Action, a UK charity that supports people with epilepsy, and am also a BSAC Advanced Diver with over 500 UK and overseas dives.

Epilepsy Action does not encourage anyone or approve of anyone who dives outside the regulations of their dive organisation but we are investigating whether the current regulations are appropriate given the current levels of understanding of both epilepsy and scuba diving.

We are particularly interested to find out whether anyone with active or controlled epilepsy is currently diving, and whether the diving has had any impact on their epilepsy or their epilepsy on their diving.

If you have epilepsy and have ever scuba dived we would be grateful if you could complete the questionnaire which you can find at Scuba diving and epilepsy

Please be completely honest with us – we will not pass your details on to anyone else – but we do want to try to understand if and how diving may affect epilepsy and how epilepsy may affect diving.

It should only take 5 – 10 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Your help with this work is appreciated, thank you.

Please try and complete the questionnaire before the 20 October 2007.

I am not looking at this stage to start a debate on the forum about the merits of the current regulations, in part the survey is an attempt to inform our, Epilepsy Action’s, view about these.

Once the results are in I will come back and post them and outline our views about the regulations when a debate may be of interest.

Thanks for any help you can give us.

Simon

[simonwig]

Hi

The survey will be closing in a week or so - if anyone knows of anyone who has epilepsy and dives please pass the link on.

Thanks

Simon

[krysrod]

I would be EXTREMELY interested in the outcome of this.

I am a controlled epileptic and currently abstain from diving as I beleive its perhaps not the best activity to indulge in, in the absence of any other information. So any further update would interest me greatly.

[simonwig]

Hi

I will post some information on the results and the debate I am trying to start with the diving medical community about epilepsy and diving in the next few weeks.

Simon

Incoming green for you hun, I have been trying to find out information for years regarding my Daughter who has sleep epilepsy, of which is controlled with medication..

Look forward to the results

Corinne xx

[Finless]

I wonder if the use of a full face mask would make the lowering of the requirements more likely or safe?

The prime reason I bought a FFM was because of my concern of suffering from hyperoxia (having a fit due to oxygen toxicity) - I was over reacting to the danger but stuck with using the FFM anyway.

Unlike using a standard scuba rig the FFM remains fixed to the user whether they are concious or having a fit. Also, they are very difficult to dislodge by just knocking them (MUCH MUCH harder to dislodge than a ½ mask).

[simonwig]

Hi all

Further to my earlier posts about epilepsy and diving and my request for people who have epilepsy and do dive to complete a survey, I have published some brief results within an article about epilepsy and diving on Epilepsy Action’s website at this link epilepsy and diving

I would be pleased to hear any thoughts about epilepsy and diving, in particular whether there is support, or opposition, for a formal review of the current guidelines.

Many thanks

Simon