What is an unsafe eye pressure?

While ocular hypertension isn't an eye disease in itself, it is an indication that you could develop glaucoma. Your eye pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, expressed as mm Hg. Normal eye pressure is between 10 to 21 mm Hg. High intraocular pressure is greater than 21 mm Hg.


What is considered dangerously high eye pressure?

In general, pressures of 20-30 mm Hg usually cause damage over several years, but pressures of 40-50 mm Hg can cause rapid visual loss and also precipitate retinovascular occlusion.

Is eye pressure of 50 high?

Dangerously High Eye Pressure

However, an IOP in the 40-50 mmHg range can lead to retinal vascular occlusion, a potentially serious condition in which blood vessels that serve the retina are blocked. This can cause rapid loss of vision that if not treated within 24 hours can become permanent.


How do you know if your eye pressure is too high?

Ocular hypertension has no obvious signs such as eye pain or red eyes. The only way to tell if you have high eye pressure is to have a comprehensive eye exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor will measure your IOP with an instrument called a tonometer.

How much pressure does it take to damage your eyes?

Over a 5-year period, several studies have shown the incidence of glaucomatous damage in people with ocular hypertension to be about 2.6-3% for intraocular pressures of 21-25 mm Hg, 12-26% for intraocular pressures of 26-30 mm Hg, and approximately 42% for those higher than 30 mm Hg.


How does eye pressure relate to glaucoma?



Can you reverse high eye pressure?

The damage caused by glaucoma can't be reversed. But treatment and regular checkups can help slow or prevent vision loss, especially if you catch the disease in its early stages. Glaucoma is treated by lowering intraocular pressure.

How can I lower my eye pressure fast?

Keep reading to learn more about how to lower your intraocular pressure!
  1. Eat a Healthy Diet. Eating a healthy and balanced diet is helpful when managing your eye pressure. ...
  2. Exercise. Moving your body is important for your health. ...
  3. Reduce Your Caffeine Intake. ...
  4. Elevate Your Head While Sleeping. ...
  5. Medications.


How can I check my eye pressure at home?

Place the tips of both index fingers on the closed upper eyelid. Keeping both fingertips in contact with the upper eyelid, apply gentle pressure through the closed eyelid, first gently pressing on the eye with the right index finger, then with the left, and then with the right again (Figure 1). Repeat on the other eye.


Can eye pressure go down?

Medical Treatments

Although glaucoma and vision loss cannot be reversed, if caught early enough, treatments can be done to reduce symptoms such as headaches and eye pain. Eye drops – there is a plethora of prescription eye drops that the doctor would prescribe in the initial stages of high eye pressure or glaucoma.

What makes eye pressure go up?

The cause of elevated eye pressure, known as ocular hypertension, is an imbalance in production and drainage of aqueous humor, the fluid inside your eye. Pressure builds as the eye creates new fluid and the channels which normally drain the aqueous humor become obstructed or damaged.

Is 27 too high for eye pressure?

Your eye pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, expressed as mm Hg. Normal eye pressure is between 10 to 21 mm Hg. High intraocular pressure is greater than 21 mm Hg.


What is normal eye pressure for a 60 year old?

While the average eye pressure is approximately 15 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury), the range of normal eye pressure is much larger. About 90 percent of people will fall between a pressure of 10 and 21. Even so, this does not mean that if you have a pressure of 22 or higher it is abnormal.

What time of day is eye pressure highest?

“Pressure is highest typically in the morning, when you're just waking up, and lowest in the afternoon,” says Johnson. “So if you have a 4:00 pm. appointment at the doctor's office, that particular pressure may be the lowest pressure you'll have that day.”

Can you have a stroke from high eye pressure?

Causes of Eye Stroke

Although an eye stroke can occur from a total blockage of a blood vessel that feeds the optic nerve, it is more commonly caused by a lack of pressure or perfusion of the tissue. Blood pressure may change relative to the eye pressure and the normal flow of blood is reduced.


Is eye pressure 30 high?

Eye pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Normal eye pressure ranges from 12-21 mm Hg, and eye pressure of greater than 21 mm Hg is considered higher than normal.

What is the normal eye pressure by age?

Age-related change in IOP

In the cross-sectional analysis, average IOP increased from 12.7 mm Hg in subjects in their 20s to 14.0 mm Hg in those in their 40s. Then IOP decreased from 13.9 mm Hg in those in their 60s to 13.1 mm Hg in those in their 70s.

Can anxiety cause high eye pressure?

The results indicated that people with a high anxiety-state and/or a high trait anxiety showed increases in intraocular pressure and heart rate.


What should you avoid with high eye pressure?

High trans fats have been proven to cause damage to the optic nerve. Time to cut out fried foods, baked goods and any product with an ingredient list that includes hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Saturated foods that include red meat, beef, lard, shortening and oils can also worsen glaucoma.

Is eye pressure related to blood pressure?

High Blood Pressure and Glaucoma

Doctors know that increased blood pressure results in increased eye pressure, possibly because high blood pressure increases the amount of fluid the eye produces and/or affects the eye's drainage system.

What is a good number for your eye pressure?

Normal intraocular pressures average from 12-21 mm Hg. The “mm Hg” refers to millimeters of mercury, a scale for recording eye pressure. Anything that exceeds 21 mm Hg is considered hypertensive. A problem in the drainage of fluid produced in the eye causes increased pressure.


What medications make glaucoma worse?

These include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac (fluoxetine) and Paxil (paroxetine). Tricyclic antidepressants such as Elavil (amitriptyline) and Tofranil (imipramine) may also have some anticholinergic activity and thus should be used in caution in patients with narrow angles.

What are the early warning signs of glaucoma?

Glaucoma Signs and Symptoms
  • Vision Blind Spots. If you are experiencing blind spots in your peripheral (side) or central vision, this may be the first sign of vision loss due to glaucoma.
  • Eye Redness. ...
  • Eye Pain or Headaches. ...
  • Halos around Lights. ...
  • Nausea or Vomiting.


Can computer screens cause high eye pressure?

No strong evidence suggests excessive use of digital technology is a glaucoma risk factor. However, prolonged computer, tablet, cell phone, and other digital device use can lead to eye strain. It's becoming increasingly difficult to function without computers and other digital technology.


Do all glaucoma patients eventually go blind?

Glaucoma is a serious, lifelong eye disease that can lead to vision loss if not controlled. But for most people, glaucoma does not have to lead to blindness. That is because glaucoma is controllable with modern treatment, and there are many choices to help keep glaucoma from further damaging your eyes.

Can you have high eye pressure and not have glaucoma?

But not everyone with high eye pressure will develop glaucoma — and some people with normal eye pressure get glaucoma. Whether you develop glaucoma depends on the amount of pressure your optic nerve can handle — and this amount is different for each person. For most people, eye pressure above 21 is higher than normal.