Macular Degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of vision loss for those aged 50 years and older. AMD is known to have 200,000 cases annually compared to conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts there are a lot more AMD cases.  

When the macula, the retina's central portion of the eye is damaged this causes AMD.

 

The macula is responsible for helping our vision through fine-tuning which enables us to see finer details, this causes blurry or a loss of central vision. Over time the area of lost vision expands towards the peripheral vision this can cause the affected area to seem blurred or become a blank spot. When treating dry AMD there is only vitamin therapy and this type of treatment is not always successful. Research has shown that with hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) there is a significant success in reversing symptoms and helps the patient regain a quality of life.

 

 

How can HBOT therapy help treat Macular Degeneration?

 

AMD is caused by a lack of oxygen which disrupts the cells activity of pumping out toxins from the cells into the bloodstream resulting in inflammation which stops the generation of new blood vessels in injured tissues. This causes  a vicious cycle where there is an increase of swelling and inflammation due to the lack of oxygen.

 

Oxygen is essential for good health and low saturation causes disease it is well documented that those with low oxygen saturation are at greater risk of developing macular degeneration. By placing someone in a pressurised environment where they are receiving 100% oxygen their chances of recovery are much greater. HBOT infuses oxygen into the damaged cells and due to the pressurised environment the oxygen is able to diffuse into the plasma and reach inflamed and swollen areas which are difficult to get to.

 

In a study Dr L. Bojic treated 4 patients with HBOT who had advanced AMD and 3 out of 4 experienced a doubling of vision. In other study a  one-hour session of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO2) was used to treat a group of 14 patients with advanced AMD. Eight patients were treated at 1.75 ATA, and six patients were treated at 1.5 ATA for one hour. Significant improvements in visual acuity and/or visual field, with improvements in the activities of daily living were observed.

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Links to information on HBOT and Macular Degeneration

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https://bit.ly/3JUsyX9

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https://oxfordrecoverycenter.com/daves-story/

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http://neurologicalsolutions.org/macular-degeneration/#:~:text=Hyperbaric%20oxygen%20therapy%20(HBOT)%20for,healing%20and%20regeneration%20of%20cells.

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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20462142/

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https://www.nationalhyperbaric.com/blog/treating-age-related-macular-degeneration-in-a-hyperbaric-oxygen-chamber

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