People with glaucoma also need to consider where they lay their heads when it's time for sleep. With the knowledge that IOP rises at night or whenever a person is prone, many doctors have advised their patients to sleep in an upright position.
Approximately 66 percent of the patients with normal-tension glaucoma preferred to sleep with the worse eye downward and 71 percent of the patients with high-tension glaucoma slept that way. The results don't prove that sleeping position accounts for worsening glaucoma on one side.
As yoga teachers, we are trained to tell people with glaucoma to avoid headstands and most inverted poses, due to an increase in pressure in the eyes. This pressure is already elevated in people with glaucoma, and high levels of intraocular pressure (IOP) can lead to optic nerve damage and eventually blindness.
A new study found that when people did head-down poses, their IOP increased within one minute of doing each pose. The increase remained throughout each two-minute pose, then IOP returned to baseline within two minutes of the person sitting down.
Sleeping with your head elevated may reduce your eye pressure at night and decrease your risk of glaucoma-related vision problems. Baseline eye pressure was measured prior to sleep, then at two-hour intervals during a sleep period lasting six hours.
Although aqueous fluid production decreases during sleep, intraocular pressure actually increases due to blocking of the drainage system when lying flat. Overall, eye pressure increases 10-20% when both effects are taken into account.
Reductions in IOP were found to increase with the duration of walking, jogging and running. IOP measured after both isometric and isokinetic exercise was found to be lower than pre-exercise IOP.
“Pressure is highest typically in the morning, when you're just waking up, and lowest in the afternoon,” says Johnson. “So if you have a 4:00 pm. appointment at the doctor's office, that particular pressure may be the lowest pressure you'll have that day.”
Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve and can lead to vision loss. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), new research shows that getting a proper good night's sleep may help to prevent glaucoma.
Time to cut out fried foods, baked goods and any product with an ingredient list that includes hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Saturated foods that include red meat, beef, lard, shortening and oils can also worsen glaucoma.
Diets high in fruits such as have been shown to lower the risk of glaucoma development. The most discussed benefit is through antioxidants. As oxidative stress is associated with optic nerve injury, fruits high in antioxidants, such as pomegranate, acai berries, cranberries offer the most neuroprotection.
Many people assume that 'using your eyes' can worsen your glaucoma. Reading, watching TV or using your phone or computer does not have any impact on your glaucoma.
Some doctors suggest that glaucoma patients or high-risk patients try to train themselves to sleep on their back. It has also been suggested that to avoid nocturnal eye damage, normal-tension patients raise the head of the bed by 20 percent using a sleeping wedge.
Any type of activity that positions your head lower than your heart for prolonged periods of time should be avoided, as it could lead to a spike in intraocular pressure. This includes inverted yoga positions (and headstands) or using inversion tables.
Drinking a quart of water in less than five minutes has been shown to increase intraocular pressure; instead, advise your patients to drink small amounts of water often to stay hydrated.
Reading induces a significant increase in IOP, which was more evident in a supine versus sitting position. No differences in IOP increase were found between men and women. Greater levels of discomfort in the back and neck were reported when reading in a seated position.
Fluid drainage failure causes the high pressure. Your eyes constantly make a clear fluid called aqueous humor that flows in front of your eye and then drains out. Normally, an equal amount goes in and out. If the fluid doesn't leave your eye when it should, your IOP increases.
Stay away from exercise positions that put your head below your waist (such as bending over). This position will increase eye pressure.
Using your thumbs, gently press on the area right above the inner corner of the eyes where the crease of your lid begins. Press slowly and release. Repeat this exercise 5 times. By doing this, you're helping to relieve pressure in between your eyes.
Patients with glaucoma showed to have higher daytime sleepiness measured by Epworth sleepiness scale. In addition, this symptom was associated with pupillary reflex and polysomnography parameters.
Buys and colleagues reported that a head-up position via a 15º wedge pillow could mitigate supine IOP elevation. Based on existing evidence, we clinicians can recommend that patients try to avoid a single side for sleeping preference or that they use a wedge pillow.
Failing to sleep for enough hours can contribute to increased pressure in the eye. This is because the eyes do not get enough time to rehydrate and recover. This can lead to straining of the eyes, which in turn triggers glaucoma.