Overview
- The British Journal of Ophthalmology study tracked 144 glaucoma patients over 24 hours with and without 20–35° head elevation produced by two pillows.
- Sixty-seven percent showed higher intraocular pressure with pillows, averaging about a 1.61 mm Hg increase, with mean values of 17.42 vs 16.62 mm Hg when supine.
- Ocular perfusion pressure fell with pillows (54.57 vs 58.71 mm Hg), and 24-hour intraocular pressure fluctuation increased.
- An ultrasound substudy of 20 healthy volunteers found significant jugular vein lumen constriction in the high-pillow position, supporting a venous compression hypothesis.
- The authors suggest avoiding high-pillow sleeping postures as a simple adjunct for patients and stress the findings are preliminary; separate UK estimates put glaucoma at about 1.1 million cases now, rising to 1.6 million by 2060.