We know better the benefits of meditation on stress and in preventing cardiovascular risk, against pain, and even against cognitive decline. But mindfulness meditation can also help reduce eye pressure effectively in primary open-angle glaucoma, a type of glaucoma characterized by high intraocular pressure (IOP) among other signs. This study by a team from the Otto-v-Guericke University of Magdeburg, published in the Journal of Glaucoma demonstrates that the practice of mindful meditation significantly reduces intraocular pressure, stress-related biomarkers and thus improves quality of life in these patients.
Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness worldwide and affects nearly 70 million people. IOP lowering is the only proven treatment, and this lowering is usually achieved with eye drops, laser therapy, or surgery. These treatments are expensive and cause ocular and systemic side effects that can affect the quality of life of affected patients. Patient outcomes improve as IOP decreases, which also helps prevent further damage to the optic nerve.
Chronic stress can lead to elevated blood pressure (systemic hypertension), but few effects on the eye - with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) - have been documented. This is the first study showing that a relaxation program with meditation can reduce IOP in patients with glaucoma and improve their quality of life by lowering stress hormones such as cortisol. It is a study described as "remarkable" because it concludes thus to the probable effects of meditation on ocular health. Conducted with 90 patients with glaucoma, some of whom participated in a mindfulness meditation program focused on breathing, the experiment shows that participants in the Meditation group, after only 3 weeks of practice achieve a drop in intraocular pressure (IOP), cortisol levels and oxidative stress. Precisely,
- After 3 weeks, 75% of patients who practiced meditation showed a significant drop in eye pressure of 25%, reduction in cortisol levels, increase in beta-endorphins and brain-derived neurotrophic factors, and reduction of oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory markers (interleukins).
Mindfulness meditation is quite simple to practice , even by elderly and bedridden patients, recalls lead author Dr. Tanuj Dada, of the Prasad Center for Ophthalmic Sciences (New Delhi). By using meditation, medication requirements are reduced, which reduces side effects as well as costs to the patient and the healthcare system. In addition, meditation reduces stress hormones, which improves the quality of life of patients. It thus helps patients cope much more successfully with the psychological burden caused by this blinding disorder. Finally, the study suggests that mental stress could be one of the main factors in glaucoma.
Using this meditation technique to reduce stress is a powerful tool for treating the patient as a whole, not just their eyes. Meditation allows a holistic approach to managing the health and general well-being of the patient.
“ Our findings open an exciting avenue for harnessing the power of the brain to cure ailments in the human body. A majority of human illnesses have an underlying psychological component, and it is the psychology of the patient that meditation targets. The reduction in stress hormone levels with can impact many organs in the body, including the eyes. Further research is now needed to explore this promising option for reducing or halting the progression of vision loss and even restoring vision ,” the authors conclude.
Although yoga and meditation, key components of holistic health, have been practiced for over 5,000 years in India, these practices remain little known to clinicians and are rarely used in medical practice.
And yet, it is now proven that breathing exercises and meditation reduce the release of stress hormones through relaxation and thus harmonize the " body-mind " relationship.
