Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy of Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

Traditional wisdom has been that nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (ION} not be treated because no therapy significantly altered the course or outcome. Then optic nerve sheath decompression was suggested for eyes with progressive tosses over 3 weeks to levels of legal blindness. In practice, many patients, especially in the Midwest, were treated with systemic steroids, despite the academic warnings, and particularly in those who had already lost one eye and now had the same malady in the second. There has been agreement that arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy patients definitely need steroids. Is there another option for nonarteritics or arteritics who fail to respond to medical treatment or choose not to have surgery?