What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the long-term effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on visual acuity and retinopathy in 50 diabetic patients with chronic foot ulcers over a two-year period.
What They Found
Among 50 diabetic patients, visual acuity remained similar between the hyperbaric oxygen therapy and placebo groups over a two-year period. No significant differences were observed in retinopathy progression, including bleedings, exudates, microaneurysms, or edemas, between the groups. New clinically significant macular edema occurred in four eyes in the HBO2 group and three eyes in the placebo group, showing no significant difference.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients with diabetic foot ulcers undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy can be reassured that this treatment appears to have no harmful long-term effects on their visual acuity or retinopathy. Regular ophthalmological monitoring remains important, but this therapy does not seem to worsen existing eye conditions or induce new ones related to the microvasculature.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted in Canada and therefore has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is its single-center design and relatively small sample size of 50 patients.