Glaucoma Patients Can Participate in Moderate Aerobic Exercise

From Reuters Health Information
By Michelle Rizzo

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Sep 07 - Patients with glaucoma can exercise without fear of negatively affecting their intraocular pressure, according to a study in online BMC Ophthalmology published on August 13.

"As an increasing number of people are becoming active in aerobic physical exercise such as jogging and bicycling, it would be interesting to identify any limitations or precautions concerning the effect of exercise on intraocular pressure," Dr. Irene Asouhidou, of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and colleagues write. "Previous studies have shown a reduction in intraocular pressure following certain forms of exercise, ranging from walking to exhausting exercise, in healthy volunteers."

However, they add, there are few data as to the effect of exercise on intraocular pressure among individuals using antiglaucoma medication.

In the current study, the researchers examined how intraocular pressure is affected in athletes, non-athletes, and glaucoma patients who perform aerobic exercise with or without the instillation of various anti-glaucoma eye medications. The study included 100 healthy subjects and 45 primary open-angle glaucoma patients.

The participants were divided into seven groups: normotensive subjects who jogged or bicycled regularly (group A, n = 25); normotensives who had their right eye instilled with the beta blocker timolol maleate 0.5% (group B, n = 40); the prostaglandin analogue latanoprost 0.005% (group C, n = 20); or the alpha-agonist brimonidine tartrate 0.2% (group D, n = 15).

The remaining groups had primary glaucoma under monotherapy with timolol maleate (group E, n = 15), latanoprost (group F, n = 15), or combined anti-glaucoma treatment (group G, n = 15) instilled in both eyes.

The researchers measured the intraocular pressure of both eyes before and after exercise.

A significant decrease in intraocular pressure was observed after exercise. Moderate aerobic exercise reduced the intraocular pressure of healthy subjects. Intraocular pressure was also reduced after exercise following instillation of a beta-blocker, a prostaglandin analogue, or an alpha-agonist. A decrease in intraocular pressure was observed in glaucoma patients already under anti-glaucoma treatment.

"Regular moderate aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, bicycle, etc.) has been proven beneficial and should be encouraged for glaucoma patients," Dr. Asouhidou told Reuters Health in an email interview. "The next step of our research is to identify how other types of exercise affect the intraocular pressure, especially in patients who are under medication for glaucoma."

BMC Ophthalmol 2009;9:6