What are the side effects of HBOT?
Pressure changes can cause barotrauma to the ears and sinuses and are the most common side effect during a course of therapy. It can be easily addressed by learning techniques designed to promote adequate clearing of the ears during compression (similar to clearing your ears on an airplane). An exteme side effect has to do with CNS Oxygen Toxicity. In Naval medicine when someone had the “bends” and had to be in a chamber for hours or even days at a time, having 100% O2 could create Oxygen Toxicity and Seizures. CNS Oxygen Toxicity is extremely rare, occurring about 1 in 10,000 treatments. Another temporary side effect occurs after a large number of treatments when some changes in vision may be noticed since the eye’s lens absorbs oxygen through the air and not in the blood. Any changes usually return to pre-treatment vision levels in a 6 week period. Some patients may experience claustrophobia which can be resolved with relaxation techniques or mild medications. Also HBOT may induce ac
