This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Sleeping in lateral decubitus position may cause visual loss in normal-, high-tension glaucoma patients
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
PRAGUE — Lateral decubitus position during sleeping may be the cause of asymmetric IOP increase and visual field damage in glaucoma patients, according to one specialist speaking at the European Glaucoma Society Congress.
IOP increases in the supine position in both healthy and glaucomatous eyes, and studies suggest that this increase might play a role in the progression of glaucoma. Other studies found that in the lateral decubitus position, IOP increases asymmetrically, with higher elevation in the lower eye, Ki Ho Park, MD, PhD, told the audience.
Ki Ho Park
He personally conducted a study in 49 normal-tension glaucoma patients with asymmetric visual field loss. A tendency for greater IOP rise was found in the eye with the worse mean deviation of visual field when the patient was lying in the lateral position.
“We also submitted a prospective questionnaire on sleeping habits to 309 normal-tension glaucoma patients and 121 high-tension glaucoma patients with asymmetric visual field. In both groups the majority preferred the lateral decubitus position, and two-thirds of those preferred the worse eye-dependent position,” Park said.
In another group of patients, IOP measured with the eyeball compressed against the pillow showed even greater elevation.
“People spend about one-third of their lifetime sleeping in the lying position, and we know that with aging the proportion of lateral position during sleep is increased. So we have to continue investigating this issue, using continuous monitoring IOP devices such as contact lens sensor or wireless IOP transducer,” Park said. – by Michela Cimberle
Reference:
Park K. IOP and the blood pressure – what are we missing. Presented at: European Glaucoma Society Congress; June 19-22, 2016; Prague.
Disclosure: Park reports no relevant financial disclosures.