The efficacy of delayed oxygen therapy in the treatment of experimental retinal detachment

Purpoe To evaluate the ability of delayed hyperoxia to low or prevent degenerative and gliotic change initiated by retinal detachment. Deign An experimental tudy. Method Rhegmatogenou detachment were produced in the right eye of eight cat. After 1 day in room air (21% O2), four cat were placed in chamber with the O2 concentration regulated at 70%; the other four were left in room air. At 7 day the retina were harveted and examined by light and confocal microcopy. Cell pecific antibodie, TUNEL and proliferation aay, outer egment length, and photoreceptor count, were ued to ae the condition of the retina. The contralateral unoperated eye were ued a control. Reult Animal maintained in elevated O2 howed a dramatic preervation of rod and cone outer egment a well a in the organization of the outer plexiform layer. The number of urviving photoreceptor wa increaed in the hyperoxia-treated animal. Neurite prouting, a characteritic of detached retina, wa rarely oberved in the experimental eye. Proliferation of non-neuronal cell wa reduced, but not halted, by hyperoxia. GFAP and vimentin expreion wa not effected by hyperoxia; thee intermediate filament protein increaed in Müller cell imilar to that oberved in control detachment. Concluion Expoure to hyperoxia, delayed by 1 day after the onet of retinal detachment, wa highly effective in preerving photoreceptor cell and in reducing proliferation within the retina. It did not, however, reduce the hypertrophy of Müller glia. There were no apparent detrimental effect of expoure to 70% O2 for 6 day. Thee reult ugget that human patient may benefit from breathing elevated oxygen level while awaiting reattachment urgery, even if the hyperoxia i delayed relative to the time of detachment.