Can hyperbaric oxygen therapy turn off the angiogenic switch in corneal neovascularization

Cornea normally does not have blood vessels. Corneal neovascularization may develop secondary to various inflammatory and infectious disorders. In corneal neovascularization, new blood vessels grow from the limbal vascular plexus into the cornea. Corneal neovascularization reduces visual acuity by disturbing corneal transparency and increases the risk of corneal graft rejection. Corneal avascularity is maintained by the equilibrium between the angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors. A shift towards angiogenic factors in this equilibrium is called as “angiogenic switch” (1). The role of angiogenic growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), in the pathogenesis of corneal neovascularization has been well defined (2).