Visual improvement in diabetic macular edema by hyperbaric oxygen treatment
Ogura, Y.; Kiryu, J.; Takahashi, K.; Honda, Y.
Nippon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi 92(9): 1456-1460
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-0203 PMID: 3213778 Document Number: 306254
Twenty-two eyes of eleven cases with diabetic macular edema were treated with total body hyperbaric oxygen. The patients underwent hyperbaric oxygen treatment in a chamber set at 2 atmospheres for one hour, twice a day for two weeks, and then once a day for a third week. The visual acuity improved by two lines or more in fifteen eyes (68%) after the treatment. Improved acuity tended to decrease in the follow-up period but was still better than before the treatment. Improvement was also found in results of static perimetry (76%) and in fluorescein angiography findings (9%). Although the exact mechanism is unclear, it is speculated that hyperbaric oxygen might restore photoreceptor functions by activation of aerobic metabolism and by inhibition of lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that hyperbaric oxygen promises to be an effective modality to improve visual functions in diabetic macular edema.