A recent study published in Journal of Glaucoma evaluated the relationship between a stress management breathing technique and intraocular (IOP) in glaucoma patients.
Give me some background first.
Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness affecting millions of people, and stress may have a role in influencing its only modifiable risk factor—IOP.
While studies have shown that physiological stress is associated with glaucoma, others have found that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is associated with reductions in IOP.
Thus, researchers set out to investigate how the “365 breathing” technique might correlate with IOP and stress markers in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).
Give me more on this “365 breathing”.
Commonly recommended by therapists, this breathing method requires 5 minutes a session, three times a day.
It is recommended to focus on slowing and steadying breathing for the duration of this time, and is intended to sync breathing with the heart rate—which then leads to decreased blood pressure and muscle relaxation.
Now the study … who was included?
This study included a total of 80 patients with the following characteristics:
- Early to moderate POAG
- IOP less than 25 mmHg
- Visual acuity (VA) (better eye) ≥ 6/18
- Between 40-80 years of age
- Willingness to take part in the “365 breathing” technique
How was it conducted?
In this randomized, controlled study, 40 participants were assigned to an intervention group that took part in the “365 breathing” technique in addition to their pharmacological glaucoma treatment.
The other 40 participants continued only with their pharmacological medication and treatment. Deep-breathing tests were taken at both pre-intervention and 6 weeks post-intervention to compare the groups.
What were the outcome measures?
During the deep breathing tests, the following was recorded:
- IOP
- Serum cortisol
- Heart rate variability
- Respiratory rate
- Pulse rate
- Blood pressure
Findings?
The IOP levels for the intervention group was significantly lower at 6-week post-intervention than it was at the baseline.
Specifically, there was an 11% reduction in IOP (18.09±2.8 to 16.09±2.24 mmHg, p = 0.0012), while the control group did not have any significant decrease.
Go on…
The intervention group also had a significant decrease in resting heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and in serum cortisol as a stress biomarker. They also displayed a significant increase in parasympathetic reactivity through the deep-breathing test.
The authors suggested that, as glaucoma patients typically showcase more negative traits such as anxiety, psychotherapeutic treatments like breathing techniques could be an interesting countermeasure.
Expert opinion?
“Lifestyle interventions to promote positive health are an unmet need in glaucoma patients,” the authors explained.
They continued: “A simple lifestyle intervention of ‘365 breathing’ can positively impact glaucoma patients by modulating autonomic function and increasing parasympathetic activity while reducing IOP and stress biomarker cortisol.”
Limitations?
A limitation that arises here is that this was a short-duration pilot study that would need a larger sample size to fully verify.
In addition, the patients completed the breathing exercises at home, and therefore their full completion or technique could not be certified.
Take home.
Further research is necessary to replicate these findings with a larger sample size; however, this study brings up new notions of an inexpensive and easy lifestyle change that could positively impact those with glaucoma.
The study authors concluded, “Such lifestyle interventions may be used as an adjunctive therapy in glaucoma patients.”