Stress can interfere with your sleep, skin and digestion. But did you also know it can affect your eyes? Your eyes undergo changes such as increased intraocular pressure (IOP) when you're stressed or anxious, whether for a short time or on a regular basis.
Elevated eye pressure happens as the result of a buildup of fluid that flows throughout the inside of the eye. This fluid also is known as the aqueous humor. It usually drains through a tissue located at the angle where the iris and cornea meet. This tissue also is called the trabecular meshwork.
Finally, their anxiety-trait, which indicated a predisposition to experiencing general anxiety responses, was assessed. The results indicated that people with a high anxiety-state and/or a high trait anxiety showed increases in intraocular pressure and heart rate.
Under a lot of pressure
With the eye's drainage channel completely blocked, eye pressure skyrockets in a very short amount of time. This spike often leads to intense, sudden pain in the eye that can even cause vomiting. The pain can further spread to the head, causing intermittent headaches.
You can't cure ocular hypertension, but your provider can treat and monitor the condition. People who have ocular hypertension may be at a higher risk for developing glaucoma, but not everyone who has ocular hypertension will automatically develop glaucoma.
The research supports this guidance: In one study, aerobic exercise (such as walking, swimming, biking, or working out on stationary machines) at a brisk level for 30 to 45 minutes three to four times a week lowered intraocular pressure (IOP) and improved blood flow to the brain and the eye.
Changes of mean IOP according to age. For the cross-sectional study, we used seven age groups classified by decades. Average IOP increased from 12.7 mm Hg in subjects in their 20s to 14.0 mm Hg in those in their 40s. Then IOP decreased from 13.9 mm Hg in those in their 60s to 13.1 mm Hg in those in their 70s.
In addition to avoiding caffeine, saturated fats, trans fatty acids, and salt in your daily diet, glaucoma patients should also consider avoiding any foods they're allergic to. Some of these lifestyle choices might be difficult to make, but they're more than worth it when maintaining eye health.
That sounds simple enough, except for the fact that eye pressure varies – sometimes quite dramatically. “Pressure is highest typically in the morning, when you're just waking up, and lowest in the afternoon,” says Johnson.
Some eye doctors treat all elevated intraocular pressures of higher than 21 mmHg with topical medicines. Some do not medically treat unless there is evidence of optic nerve damage. Most eye doctors treat if pressures are consistently higher than 28-30 mmHg because of the high risk of optic nerve damage.
Some people experience eye pain, blurry vision, double vision, and tunnel vision. Changes to the body during the “fight or flight” system are likely to blame. Distractions, exercise, and control over breathing can give your eyes some relief.
Normal eye pressure ranges from 12-21 mm Hg, and eye pressure of greater than 21 mm Hg is considered higher than normal.
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.
Normal eye pressure is usually considered 10 to 21 mmHg. Despite this being the “normal” range, there are many people with pressures of 22-28 that we describe as ocular hypertension who don't seem to manifest any glaucoma damage. Also, there are many people with pressures under 21 who develop glaucoma.
iCare HOME Tonometer is the only FDA approved eye pressure device available to patients for measuring eye pressure (intraocular pressure) at home that does not require using prescription eye drops to take your own pressure.
Doctors know that increased blood pressure results in increased eye pressure, possibly because high blood pressure increases the amount of fluid the eye produces and/or affects the eye's drainage system.
There's no evidence yet indicating that losing excess weight reduces the risk for glaucoma, although significant decreases in IOP have been reported in humans through weight loss. Caloric intake is another factor for glaucoma patients.
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. One study found that turning the head into a pillow in a simulated sleep position is associated with a clinically significant increase in estimated IOP.
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.
But not everyone with high eye pressure will develop glaucoma — and some people with normal eye pressure get glaucoma. Whether you develop glaucoma depends on the amount of pressure your optic nerve can handle — and this amount is different for each person. For most people, eye pressure above 21 is higher than normal.
The intraocular pressure-lowering effect of paracetamol (21%) is consistent with previous reports of the ocular hypotensive efficacy of alpha-2 selective adrenergic agonists (20%–25%), topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (20%–25%), and pilocarpine (20%–25%).