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Long-Term Evaluation of Retinal Artery Occlusion Patients Who Applied Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment



Author(s)

Savas Ilbasmis¹ and Erdinc Ercan²

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DOI:10.17265/2328-7136/2018.03.002

1. Turkish Aeromedical Research and Training Center (USAEM), Eskisehir 26010, Turkey
2. The Department of Aerospace Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Eskisehir 26010, Turkey

Introduction: Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) is one of the treatment modalities for retinal artery occlusion (RAO). HBOT may be beneficial if initiated within 2-12 hours of onset of symptoms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of HBOT on the patients who had applied to our center for HBOT with an RAO diagnose. Methods: Sixteen patients were included in this study for a three-year period those were applied HBOT with RAO diagnosis. HBOT sessions of these patients had been started as quick as possible soon after they have arrived. Also, all patients had been started medication by ophthalmologists who sent them. To evaluate the outcome of the treatment the patients were called with telephone and ophthalmology clinic control examinations were obtained. Patients were asked survey questions about their visual ameliorations before and after HBOT. Results: Mean initiation duration of patients to get HBOT was about 28 hours. Only one patient has initiated treatment after 13 days from the event and no visual improvement was recorded. Within this patient, no visual amelioration was recorded for two more patients. Among the other 13 patients, three had 80% and more, three had 50-79% and seven had below 50% visual amelioration. Eleven of 13 patients had peripheral visual field amelioration. Discussion: With the medical treatment, an immediate intervention of HBOT was considered a useful treatment modality for RAO. The visual improvement of the visual fields was considered especially in the peripheral vision rather than central vision.

Retinal artery occlusion, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, visual fields, sudden vision loss.