A good dive exam should cover a number of different areas that a doctor should be looking for. A general exam includes checking your cardiovascular fitness, gastrointestinal function as well as visual acuity and barotrauma. To further evaluate your diving ability, doctors may recommend additional tests such as xrays. If you have had ear infections in the past, it is important to discuss this with your doctor. Even if you do not have any ear infections in the past, a dive medical will give you all the information that you need.
Checking out cardiovascular fitness
It is important to assess your cardiovascular fitness before you decide to pursue diving as a hobby, or even as a career. Although it may seem easy, this is not an easy task. If you are unable to walk a block, don't sign up for a diving class. You should instead exercise for 20 minutes four- to five times per week. Even walking a mile may not be sufficient.
Examining the gastrointestinal function
Because ischemic colitis is possible during a diving expedition, it is crucial to check the digestive function of divers. Divers may exhibit belching and abdominal discomfort, but there is little information on severe gastrointestinal complications associated with the activity. A few rare conditions of the gastrointestinal system have been reported. These include gastric rupture from intra-gastric expansion and massive pneumoperitoneum which result from lung barotrauma. However, scuba diving has not been shown to cause mesenteric blood clotsis, acute Ischemia colitis, or hemorhagic Colitis.
Examining visual acuity
Dive physicals are designed to ensure that divers are able to perform the required skills, and to assess a diver's vision. To assess if a diver's vision is good, a diving professional will ask the diver to fill out a visual acuity questionnaire. The test is designed to measure a person's vision acuity and distance vision.
Barotrauma screening
If you're going scuba diving, you should take extra precautions to check for barotrauma. Barotrauma is a combination of the Greek words baros and trauma. Trauma refers to injury. In a dive, the pressure changes can damage or rupture key parts of the ear. This condition can be caused by diving while having a cold or congestion. You may also experience nausea or vomiting.
Asthma testing
Before diving, it is a good idea to consult your physician if you suspect you may have asthma. The symptoms of asthma can become worse or more severe, and can be triggered by diving. Oral steroids can be prescribed by your doctor to treat your asthma. As a precaution, you should keep a supply of inhalers on board your dive boat. To assess your asthma severity, your physician may also perform an exercise test and a lung function test.