This is a question I often get from patients when we review their findings on their glaucoma follow-up. I decided to put together a few of the answers below: When we sleep our eye pressure increases by 5-6 mm Hg. Sleeping on your back has shown to produce lower eye pressure than sleeping on our stomach. The more the head is elevated the lower the pressure. When we sleep on our side, the eye that is lower will have higher pressure than the other eye.
- Do not wear a tight necktie, which increases IOP 1 mm Hg. Swimming goggles increase IOP as does standing on your head.
- Practice the 365 breathing technique three times a day for five minutes every day to decrease IOP by 2 mm Hg.
- Do not smoke or drink alcohol excessively.
If one has a low ocular perfusion pressure and hypertension, it is better for their glaucoma if they can take their blood pressure medication in the morning instead of at night, with their prescribing physician’s okay. Exercise, eat green leafy vegetables, GlaucoCetin claims to improve function in glaucoma patients. Glaucoma is a slow disease, so the main thing patients can do is to return for regular follow-ups so we can catch it early and prevent irreversible blindness. Studies have shown that perhaps half of people living with glaucoma are not aware that they have the disease.
Thank you for your continued support.