Efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a young woman with idiopathic branch retinal artery occlusion.

We present a case of branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) in a healthy 20-year-old woman with no history of ocular or systemic diseases or drug use. She presented with a sudden decrease in visual acuity associated with a visual field defect of the right eye, which she had first noticed 4 hours earlier. Examination showed a BRAO with oedema at the upper part of the macula and surrounding area, and confirmed on fluorescein angiography. The left eye was normal. She was sent immediately for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and received 10 sessions (over 20 days) of 2 hours each at a pressure of 253 kPa. Follow up at four months showed a normal fundus, and visual acuity of 20/25. Visual field and fundoscopy were normal. Investigations for a cause of the BRAO proved negative. Retinal artery occlusion is rare in young people, and early application of HBOT in patients with RAO appears to improve outcome.