ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Ophthalmol.
Sec. Retina
Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fopht.2025.1652282
Impact of A Single Session of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on The Healthy Retina
Provisionally accepted
- 1TC Saglik Bakanligi Istanbul Sultan 2 Abdulhamid Han Egitim ve Arastirma Hastanesi, Üsküdar, Türkiye
- 2Kartal Dr Lutfi Kirdar Sehir Hastanesi, Istanbul, Türkiye
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Background: Hyperoxia induced by hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) may lead to retinal vasoconstriction and the generation of reactive oxygen species. This study aims to investigate the effects of a single session of HBOT on the healthy retina using full-field electroretinography (ffERG) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Methods: Twenty patients diagnosed with either sensorineural hearing loss or avascular necrosis, all of whom had an indication for HBOT, were included in the study. A comprehensive ophthalmologic examination, along with ffERG and SD-OCT assessments of the retinal layers and choroid, were performed both before and within 24 hours after the first HBOT session. Results: The mean age of the participants was 43.2 ± 11.4 years (range: 18–66 years). A statistically significant difference was observed only in the scotopic 0.01 ERG b-wave amplitude before and after HBOT (p = 0.029). The retinal pigment epithelium in the 3-mm nasal subfield of the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) grid demonstrated a statistically significant thickening after the first HBOT session (p = 0.023). Conclusion: A single session of HBOT induced an acute alteration in rod–bipolar cell function, as evidenced by impaired electrophysiological responses. Additional studies are necessary to clarify the duration and potential reversibility of the observed electrophysiological impairment.
Keywords: Choroidal thickness, Full-field electroretinography, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Optical Coherence Tomography, photoreceptors, Retina, Retina pigment epithelium
Received: 23 Jun 2025; Accepted: 29 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Demir, Sumen and Kayhan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Nur Demir, nurd9920@gmail.com
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