Purpose: The aim of this study was to quantify ocular refractive changes after a standard hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment protocol and to characterize the time period of recovery.
Patients and methods: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was given for 90 min daily at a pressure of 240 kPa for 21 days. Oxygen was administered to 20 patients using an oronasal mask and to 12 patients using a hood. Follow-up examinations were carried out 2-4 days after treatment, and thereafter regularly for up to 10 weeks in both groups. Refraction was assessed automatically and by the monocular subjective refraction method. A subgroup of nine of the 20 patients to whom oxygen was administered by an oronasal mask underwent a separate eye examination, which included crystalline lens opacity measurements and LOCS III gradings.
Results: In the patients given oxygen by mask, there was a significant myopic shift in the mean spherical equivalent, which was largest 2-4 days after treatment. The shift was - 0.55 +/- 0.40 D in the right eye and - 0.53 +/- 0.42 D in the left eye. In the patients given oxygen by hood, the largest shift was observed after 12-16 days, and was - 1.06 +/- 0.52 D in the right eye and - 1.10 +/- 0.57 D in the left eye. The refractive changes returned to baseline 6 weeks and 10 weeks after HBO treatment, respectively. No significant changes in crystalline lens transparency were revealed.
Conclusions: The myopic shift after HBO therapy recovers within 10 weeks and may be more pronounced when patients are given oxygen using a hood compared with using an oronasal mask.