Sudden loss of vision most commonly occurs as a consequence of obstruction of central retinal artery, that is usually a part of atherosclerotic or inflammatory arterial disease, but also due to other disturbances. The most common symptom is sudden and painless unilateral blindness caused by a clot from atherosclerotic plaque of the carotid artery on the same side. Although blindness develops within seconds, retina cells are relatively resistant to hypoxia and could survive even up to 22 minutes after blockage of circulation. Standard treatment includes paracentesis of front eye chamber, retrobulbar blockade with an anesthetic, anticoagulant drugs, etc. However, none of the treatments have been found satisfactorily beneficial.
Combined with standard therapy, HBOT is efficient in correcting damage due to thrombosis of central retinal artery as well as in lessening edema due to thrombosis of central retinal vein. If applied immediately or within a couple of hours after the occurrence of blindness, HBOT will lead to full vision recovery in almost all cases.
