The Causes of High Eye Pressure and How to Reduce It

 How to relieve eye pressure at home

You may be familiar with high blood pressure and hypertension, but are you familiar with ocular hypertension or high intraocular pressure? All the information you require regarding this eye condition, along with the possibility that you are at risk, is provided below.

The pressure inside your eyes is called intraocular pressure (IOP). Ocular hypertension results when that pressure is greater than usual. Ocular hypertension is not a disease of the eyes in and of itself, but it is a sign that glaucoma may develop.

The eye pressure is measured in milliseconds or mm Hg. between 10 and 21 mm Hg is considered normal ocular pressure. Greater than 21 mm Hg is considered to be high intraocular pressure.

Why Does Ocular Hypertension Occur?

Ocular hypertension can be diagnosed as the result of any one of five common causes of excessive eye pressure.

Aqueous humor increased production: Aqueous humor, a transparent, watery fluid located beneath the iris of the eye, is overproduced. It serves to clean the lens, transport nutrients and oxygen, and help maintain pressure. Once it has filled the gap between the iris and the cornea and flowed into the pupil, the trabecular meshwork is where it empties.

Aqueous builds up and drains too slowly if, for any reason, the drainage system isn't functioning as it should. Ocular hypertension can also result from insufficient drainage, even though the body is producing the appropriate amount of fluid.

Injury to the eye: This also involves aqueous. High ocular pressure can result from certain injuries that alter or disrupt the equilibrium between aqueous production and drainage. Remember that trauma can impact your eyes months or years after the actual injury occurs, so be sure to tell your eye doctor if you've ever been hurt.

Medication: 

1. Steroid drugs, such as steroidal eye drops, may raise ocular pressure.
2. Aqueous is occasionally produced in excess by the body. The increased eye pressure results from aqueous production more quickly than it can drain.
3. Ocular hypertension is linked to a number of additional eye diseases, such as pigment dispersion syndrome, and pseudoexfoliation syndrome, including corneal arcus.

Who Acquires It?

Age is a risk factor; in the United States, it's estimated that nearly to 10% of persons over the age of 40 have intraocular pressures of 21 mm Hg or greater.

In addition to having thin central corneas or being extremely nearsighted, race and familial history also raise the risk of glaucoma and excessive eye pressure.

How Is It Diagnosed?

Typically, there are no symptoms or negative effects associated with ocular hypertension. The tonometer is a device that your eye doctor will use to test your IOP during your annual eye checkup. In addition, he or she will examine your field of vision and look for other eye illnesses, such as glaucoma symptoms like optic nerve damage.

How Serious Is High Eye Pressure?

Ocular hypertension does increase your risk of getting glaucoma, making you a "glaucoma suspect." Your eye doctor will want to regularly monitor your eye pressure and suggest ways to lower it because glaucoma is a condition that harms your optic nerve and may eventually result in vision loss.

Glaucoma can manifest as symptoms like intense, throbbing eye pain, headache, blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, as well as eye redness and the perception of haloes. If you encounter any of these symptoms, be sure to consult your doctor right away.

How Is Eye Pressure Reducible?

Special eye drops may be recommended by your ophthalmologist to lower eye pressure. By making wise lifestyle decisions, you can also lower excessive eye pressure and enhance your general eye health:

1. Consume a nutritious diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
2. Exercise consistently
3. Hydrate yourself.
4. Limit your caffeine intake.

The only method to identify some eye diseases is to get routine eye exams.