Ocular refractive changes in patients receiving hyperbaric oxygen administered by oronasal mask or hood

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.

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.

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.

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.