HIGH-PRESSURE YOGA

Certain yoga postures can increase intraocular pressure (IOP) dramatically while others can slightly reduce it and that could have implications for glaucoma patients who practise yoga, said Isabel Signes-Soler PhD, MSc, FAAO, University of Valencia, Spain
at the XXXI Congress of the ESCRS
in Amsterdam.

She presented a study which showed that IOP nearly doubled when yoga practitioners took the Adho Mukha Svanasana (or downward-facing dog) yogic posture, but decreased by 16 per cent when they adopted Mukha Svanasana (upward-facing dog) yogic posture.

The study involved 20 eyes of 10 patients between 27 and 50 years of age. The researchers measured IOP before and during the yoga positions, or asanas, with a rebound tonometer.

Patients stayed in each yogic posture for 20 seconds just prior to IOP measurements and took a 15 minute break between each yogic position,
Dr Signes-Soler said.

Dr Signes-Soler and her associates found that the patients’ mean IOP was 16.6 mmHg while in a resting position before taking the yoga postures, but it rose to 33.0 mmHg during the downward-facing dog position, amounting to a 1.98-fold increase. In contrast, when patients were in the upward-facing dog position, their IOP was 16 per cent lower than it was when they were in a resting position at 14.4 mmHg.

She noted that concern over the possible adverse effects of some yoga postures on IOP and optic nerve health has been a subject of study for several decades. In particular many previous studies have implicated the use of the Sirsasana (headstand) yogic posture as a risk factor for the progression of glaucomatous disease.

Examples, include two case-studies involving glaucoma patients whose rapidly progressing optic neuropathy appeared to be associated with the routine practise of the headstand yoga posture (De Barros et al Ophthalmic Surgery, Lasers & Imaging 2008, 39(4):339-340) and (Gallardo et al, Adv Ther. 2006; 23(6):921-5).

In both case-studies, and similar to this study, the authors were able to demonstrate that there was a dramatic increase in IOP in the patients when they were in the headstand posture compared to a resting posture,

“It can be concluded that IOP is affected by the different yoga postures. The transient elevation of intraocular pressure during some yoga exercises should be considered, especially in patients diagnosed with glaucoma. Moreover, the practise of yoga should be done under the supervision of qualified staff as it may involve risks associated with certain positions,” Dr Signes-Soler added.

Isabel Signes-Soler: isabel@onvivim.com