Meditation May Lower Intraocular Pressure in Patients with Glaucoma
According to a December 2018 article in Journal of Glaucoma, patients with primary open-angle glaucoma may experience benefits by participating in mindfulness meditation practices. The researchers involved in the study are affiliated with All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, and Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Germany.
The researchers suggest that the beneficial effects of meditation are achieved through reduction of chronic stress. When people experience continual stress, one side effect is hypertension. However, chronic stress has also been linked to increased intraocular pressure. In glaucoma, high intraocular pressure compresses the optic nerve, leading to progressive and irreversible damage. This study shows that relaxation through meditation can actually lower intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma. Moreover, relaxation lowers the levels of the stress hormone cortisol as an additional benefit.
For the study, researchers recruited 90 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma who were being treated with eye drop medications before and during the study. The participants were divided into control and intervention groups. The intervention group participated in a three-week meditation program that included breathing exercises and was organized by a trained yoga instructor. The program consisted of an hour of practice each morning. The control group did not meditate. Both groups continued the medications prescribed by their ophthalmologists.
After three weeks, three out of four of the meditating participants had a 25 percent or greater drop in intraocular pressure, a finding not mirrored in the control group. Furthermore, the intervention group showed statistically significant increases in beta-endorphins and brain-derived neurotrophic factors, as well as reductions in markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. The researchers concluded that mindfulness meditation can be recommended as an adjunctive therapy for primary open-angle glaucoma.
Possible Benefits for People with Glaucoma
The study may be significant because mindfulness meditation is a relatively simple, low-cost intervention. The participants in the study practiced the technique only an hour each day. In addition, virtually anyone can meditate, even those who are elderly and people with limited mobility. This fact is critical because glaucoma primarily affects older adults.
Moreover, the study suggests that stress may be one of the more underappreciated and underexplored factors contributing to glaucoma. If meditation is an effective tool for treating this condition — and improving the patient’s general well-being — it may also be used to prevent the onset of glaucoma and other chronic conditions in people at high risk. Reducing intraocular pressure is the only effective treatment for glaucoma, and other therapies, such as pharmacotherapy, laser treatments and surgeries, can have significant side effects and higher costs.
Meditation could help prevent the progression of glaucoma in the early stages of the disease, and potentially reduce the need for medication and surgery in patients with more advanced disease. This possibility would translate into fewer side effects, less burden on the patient and lower costs. Moreover, as the researchers leading the study point out, reducing cortisol and other stress markers could help people with glaucoma deal with the psychological effects of being diagnosed with a chronic condition.
More research is needed to fully understand meditation’s place in treatment and prevention regimens recommended for patients with glaucoma. The researchers caution that meditation is not a replacement for medication and/or surgery. At the same time, meditation presents virtually zero risks while offering potentially significant benefits, so ophthalmologists may wish to recommend it as an adjunctive therapy for patients with glaucoma.
Other Lifestyle Factors Affecting Glaucoma Risk and Treatment
A growing body of research addresses the lifestyle choices that can be used to preserve eyesight in patients with glaucoma by reducing intraocular pressure. While mindfulness meditation is a relatively new recommendation, a number of benefits from other behavior adjustments have been published in peer-reviewed journals over the years. For example, smoking cessation is a lifestyle adjustment with significant positive impact. Besides increasing the risk of developing glaucoma, smoking puts individuals at higher risk of developing cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and uveitis, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
A number of other lifestyle recommendations also have to do with maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle. For example, a study recently published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing glaucoma. In addition, maintaining a healthy body weight has also been shown to be beneficial for people with glaucoma, particularly in relation to diabetes. People with a high body mass index (BMI) are at greater risk of developing diabetes, which can in turn cause glaucoma, among other eye problems.
