Effectiveness Therapy Oxygen Hyperbaric (HBOT) Against Central Retinal Artery Occlusion (CRAO): Literature Review

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Pipit Wandini
Unit Kesehatan Kodiklatal, East Java, Indonesia

Central Retinal Artery Occlusion (CRAO) is a rare eye disease causing sudden vision loss due to artery blockage. It's considered an eye emergency due to potential ischemia, infarction, and acute vision loss. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), delivering 100% oxygen at pressures exceeding 1 atmosphere, enhances oxygen transport, vascular perfusion, and neuroprotection, benefiting retinal tissue. Under hyperbaric conditions, oxygen supply to the retina increases to 100%, reducing edema and preserving adjacent tissue. This research method uses a literature review design. Three articles were included in the international database PubMed. The results of the review revealed that the three articles analyzed in the literature reported a consistent finding: hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has the potential to reduce macular edema. This suggests that HBOT may offer a promising treatment modality for addressing macular edema associated with Central Retinal Artery Occlusion (CRAO). In the discussion, it can be inferred that the mechanism behind HBOT's efficacy in reducing macular edema lies in its ability to enhance oxygen delivery to the ischemic retina, thereby reducing edema and preserving surrounding tissue. This finding underscores the importance of exploring HBOT as a therapeutic option for managing complications of CRAO, potentially improving visual outcomes for affected individuals. However, further clinical studies are warranted to validate these findings and elucidate the optimal HBOT protocols for treating macular edema in CRAO patients. The thickness of the retinal layer in patients progressively decreased, compared to the accompanying eye in reducing edema.


Keywords: Central Retinal Artery Occlusion, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
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