Visual Outcomes Following Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Acute Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Patients.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the efficacy of a novel HBOT protocol, characterized by specific pressure levels and treatment duration in patients with CRAO patients presenting within 24 hours, compared to a non-HBOT cohort.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with CRAO presenting within 24 hours from October 2003 to March 2022. Patients treated with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) or experiencing treatment-related visual complications were excluded. Of 49 eligible patients, 17 underwent HBOT following the novel protocol, while 32 received standard care (non-HBOT).

RESULTS

Baseline logMAR VA was 2.3 in both groups. At discharge, 76.5% of the HBOT group exhibited a VA improvement of at least 0.3 logMAR, compared to 40.6% in the non-HBOT group (p = 0.02). Mean logMAR VA at discharge was 1.4 ± 0.8 in the HBOT group and 2.0 ± 0.8 in the non-HBOT group. After one month, the mean logMAR VA remained at 1.4 ± 0.9 in the HBOT group and was 1.9 ± 0.9 in the non-HBOT group.

CONCLUSION

While constrained by the small sample size and short-term outcome data, these results showed the benefits of this unique HBOT protocol in CRAO presenting within the critical 24-hour window. Nevertheless, further prospective validation is necessary before widespread clinical adoption.