LOOSEN THAT TIE, SIR, SO I CAN MEASURE YOUR PRESSURE

Elevated intraocular pressure remains the most important but not the only risk factor for the development and progression of glaucomatous optic nerve damage. Accurate measurement of intraocular nerve pressure, therefore, remains essential regarding the management of patients with suspected glaucoma. In a study of 40 eyes of 20 normal subjects and 20 open angle glaucoma patients Tseng and coworkers demonstrate that a tight necktie increased the intraocular pressure, on average, by 2.6 mm Hg in healthy volunteers and in glaucoma patients by 1.0 mm Hg. Not all subjects experienced an increase in pressure after tightening and some even had a decrease. …