Equalize Your Mask to Prevent Painful Mask Squeeze

Mask squeeze is painful pressure from the scuba mask pushing against your face and causing the tissue around your eyes to swell.

Mask squeeze occurs when a diver does not equalize his or her mask during a rapid descent. This creates what is known as barotrauma, or bruising, to the soft tissues of the face within the mask.

There is no treatment for barotrauma, and the tissue will heal in one to two weeks.

Equalizing is easy to do. Scuba masks are designed to let divers exhale through their nose into the mask to lessen the pressure.