What Causes High Eye Pressure and How to Reduce It

Intraocular pressure (IOP) is the pressure in your eyes. When that pressure is higher than normal, it causes ocular hypertension. LOCATIONS&HOURS SCHEDULEEYEEXAM ONLINEBILLPAY (412)203-4258 LOCATIONS&HOURS FindLocationorScheduleanEyeExam WhatCausesHighEyePressureandHowtoReduceIt By:Eyetique|Publishedon:Jan18,2021|Categories:EyeCare,EyeDisease,EyeHealth| You’veheardofhighbloodpressureorhypertension,buthaveyouheardofhighintraocularpressureorocularhypertension?Here’severythingyouneedtoknowaboutthiseyecondition,includingwhetherornotyoumightbeatrisk. Intraocularpressure(IOP)isthepressureinyoureyes.Whenthatpressureishigherthannormal,itcausesocularhypertension.Whileocularhypertensionisn’taneyediseaseinitself,itisanindicationthatyoucoulddevelopglaucoma. Youreyepressureismeasuredinmillimetersofmercury,expressedasmmHg.Normaleyepressureisbetween10to21mmHg.Highintraocularpressureisgreaterthan21mmHg. Whatcausesocularhypertension? Therearefivemaincausesofhigheyepressurethatcanleadtoanocularhypertensiondiagnosis. Overproductionofaqueous:Aqueoushumorisaclear,wateryfluidintheeyebehindtheiris.Itspurposeistobatheandcarryoxygenandnutrientstothelens,andhelpmaintainpressure.Itflowsthroughthepupilandfillsthespacebetweentheirisandthecornea,thendrainsthroughastructurecalledthetrabecularmeshwork. Sometimesthebodyproducestoomuchaqueous.Ifaqueousisproducedatahigherratethanitcandrain,thatcausesincreasedeyepressure. Slowaqueousdrainage:Ifforanyreasonthedrainagesystemdoesn’tfunctionasitshould,theaqueousaccumulatesanddrainstooslowly.Evenifthebodyisproducingtherightamountofthefluid,inadequatedrainagecanalsocauseocularhypertension. Traumatotheeye:Thisalsohastodowithaqueous.Someinjuriesdisruptoraffectthebalanceofaqueousproductionanddrainage,whichcanleadtohigheyepressure.Notethatatraumacanaffectyoureyesmonthsoryearsaftertheactualinjurytakesplace,soletyoureyedoctorknowifyou’vehadaninjuryinthepast. Medications:Steroidmedications,includingsteroidaleyedrops,couldcausehigheyepressure. Othereyeconditions:Conditionsincludingcornealarcus,pigmentdispersionsyndrome,andpseudoexfoliationsyndromeareallassociatedwithocularhypertension. Whogetsit? Riskfactorsincludebeingolderthan40:intheUnitedStates,it’sestimatedthatasmanyas10%ofadultsolderthan40haveintraocularpressuresof21mmHgorhigher. Raceandfamilyhistorycanalsoincreaseyourriskofhigheyepressureandglaucoma,aswellasthosewiththincentralcorneasorwhoareverynearsighted. Howisitdetected? Ocularhypertensiontypicallydoesn’thaveanysideeffectsorsymptoms.Atyourannualeyeexam,youreyedoctorwilluseaninstrumentcalledatonometertomeasureyourIOP.Heorshewillalsocheckforothereyediseases,includingforsignsofglaucomabylookingforopticnervedamageandexaminingyourperipheralvision. Whenishigheyepressureserious? Itdoesmakeyouathigherriskfordevelopingglaucoma,sohavingocularhypertensionwouldmakeyoua“glaucomasuspect.”Becauseglaucomaisadiseasethatdamagesyouropticnerveandultimatelycouldcausevisionloss,youreyedoctorwouldwanttocloselymonitoryoureyepressureandadvisestepstodiminishit. Glaucomacancausesymptomslikesevereandthrobbingeyepain,headache,blurryvision,nauseaandvomiting,eyeredness,orseeinghalos.Besuretocheckwithyourdoctorimmediatelyifyouexperienceanyofthesesymptoms. Howcaneyepressurebereduced? Youreyedoctormayprescribespecialeyedropstoreduceeyepressure.Youcanalsocontrolhigheyepressureandimproveyouroveralleyehealththroughgoodlifestylechoices: Eatahealthydietthatincludeslotsoffruitsandvegetables. Getregularexercise. Stayhydrated. Limitcaffeineconsumption. Gettingregulareyeexamsissometimestheonlywaytodetectcertaineyeconditions.Contactustoscheduleyourexamoraskquestionsaboutyoureyecaretoday. ScheduleEyeExam RelatedPosts UVDamagetoEyes:TheDangersofNotWearingSunglasses WhatCausesHeadachesBehindtheEyes? WhyAreMyEyesSoSensitivetoLight? WhyDoINeedaDilatedEyeExam? HowtoPreventMacularDegeneration IsThereaRetinitisPigmentosaCure? AreCarrotsGoodforYourEyes?WhattoKnowAboutNutrition&Eyesight Open-vs.Closed-AngleGlaucoma:What’stheDifference? ThreeTypesofContactsforAstigmatism:WhichtoChoose 10WaystoProtectYourEyesThisSummer RecentPost UVDamagetoEyes:TheDangersofNotWearingSunglassesDecember9,2021 WhatCausesHeadachesBehindtheEyes?November11,2021 WhyAreMyEyesSoSensitivetoLight?October7,2021 SCHEDULEEYEEXAM Searchfor: Categories Age-RelatedMacularDegeneration Astigmatism Cataracts CelebsInGlasses ContactLenses CoolFinds DryEyes EyeAnatomy EyeCare EyeDisease EyeDrops EyeFreckle EyeHealth EyeProtection Fashion FashionTrends Featured FishOil Glasses Glaucoma HighBloodPressure ImproveEyesight KidsEyeHealth KidsHealth LossofVision MacularDegeneration News OpticNerve Optical PeripheralVision Press RetinitisPigmentosa SoftContacts SportsEyewear StrokeAffects StyledBy SummerEyeProtection Sunglasses SwimGoggles Swimmer'sEye Tipster TrendWatch Vision VisionLoss VisionProblems VisionTherapy