Benefit of hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment in direct traumatic optic neuropathy: case report

Direct traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) is a devastating condition and clinical challenge. Its adequate treatment remains controversial. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy has been proposed as an adjunctive treatment for eye disease but has rarely been used in optic neuropathy. The patient was a 57-year-old woman who had direct TON and brain injury after contusion injury. After receiving delayed HBO2 therapy her visual acuity got better - from hand motion to 6/60 - along with improvement of visual field and color vision. She was treated at 2.5 atmospheres absolute for 100 minutes, five times a week, for a total of 61 sessions. Our case highlights that HBO2 may be beneficial as an alternative treatment for direct TON, particularly when combined with brain injury. Although this entity is promising, further randomized controlled trials will be needed to clarify the efficacy of HBO2 in the treatment of direct TON.