Glaucoma is Better with Elevated Nocturnal Head Position
Head-Up Sleeping Position May Keep Intraocular Pressure From Spiking at Night
TORONTO, July 2010 — If you have high eye pressure (IOP), you may want to consider sleeping with an extra pillow under your head.
In a small study of 17 glaucoma patients with controlled IOP and new disc hemorrhage, University of Toronto researchers compared their IOP at regular intervals while asleep and lying flat and while asleep and lying in a 30-degree head-up position.
The researchers measured an IOP reduction in the 30-degree head-up position of 20 percent or more in 35 percent of the subjects, with 16 of the 17 patients having lower IOP in this position than in the lying-flat position.
The study results appeared in Ophthalmology in July.
Now my thoughts on this: a 20 percent decrease in IOP is a very big deal. Most glaucoma patients who initiate topical therapy for their glaucoma have an initial target pressure reduction of 20%! Very interesting, indeed.
TORONTO, July 2010 — If you have high eye pressure (IOP), you may want to consider sleeping with an extra pillow under your head.
In a small study of 17 glaucoma patients with controlled IOP and new disc hemorrhage, University of Toronto researchers compared their IOP at regular intervals while asleep and lying flat and while asleep and lying in a 30-degree head-up position.
The researchers measured an IOP reduction in the 30-degree head-up position of 20 percent or more in 35 percent of the subjects, with 16 of the 17 patients having lower IOP in this position than in the lying-flat position.
The study results appeared in Ophthalmology in July.
Now my thoughts on this: a 20 percent decrease in IOP is a very big deal. Most glaucoma patients who initiate topical therapy for their glaucoma have an initial target pressure reduction of 20%! Very interesting, indeed.
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