Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and optic neuritis: case report and literature review.

A history of optic neuritis has long been considered a relative contraindication to hyperbaric oxygen therapy. However, the published medical literature regarding the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in patients with previous optic neuritis is very limited, and patients who might benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be denied its benefit without adequate consideration of the risk-benefit ratio. We present a case report of a patient with a history of optic neuritis who underwent comprehensive ophthalmologic evaluation before and after 40 treatments with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, with no detectable ophthalmologic deficit.