Improved vision in diabetes patients 'is another benefit of oxygen therapy'
As well as helping to fight the effects of ageing and increasing exercise capacity, breathing oxygen-enriched air can also help to improve the vision of patients suffering with diabetic macular edema, a study has found.
According to scientists at John Hopkins and the National Eye Institute, breathing supplemental oxygen for three months reduced fluid build up and swelling in the macula, with many patients reporting improved vision.
The pilot study, published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, involved giving people oxygen through the nose and treatment with a stationary oxygen concentrator.
Dr Peter Campochiaro, senior author of the study and a professor of ophthalmology and neuroscience at Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute, said the results were quite dramatic.
"The likelihood that these measurements would change by such magnitudes by chance is very small," he added.
David Bradbury, an expert on oxygen therapy, told the Swindon Advertiser recently that he has seen a huge number of people benefit from oxygen therapy over the years, including both children and adults.
Posted by James Worrall
27/01/2010 15:11:27
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