What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a systematic review of 98 patients experiencing blindness from filler or fat injection and also described a case where hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) was used for retinal artery occlusion.
What They Found
Out of 98 patients with blindness from filler or fat injection, only 2 achieved complete vision recovery. While two prior papers on HBOT for ophthalmic artery obstruction showed no improvement, the authors successfully restored normal visual acuity in one patient with central retinal vein and cilioretinal artery occlusion using daily 2-hour HBOT sessions at 253 kPa for 14 days. A cilioretinal artery, present in 36.2% of people, may help maintain retinal thickness.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients undergoing filler or fat injections should be aware of the rare but serious risk of blindness, which has a very low rate of complete recovery. While current evidence is limited, hyperbaric oxygen therapy may offer a potential, though unproven, treatment option for vision loss if a cilioretinal artery is present.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
The findings are limited by the small number of reported cases using hyperbaric oxygen therapy for filler-induced blindness and the reliance on a single successful case report.