Normal Eye Pressure

A normal eye pressure can range from 10 to 21 mmHg. This eye pressure can provide important information in determining whether or not someone has a high chance of suffering from glaucoma. This condition can lead to experience vision problems and total blindness.

One of the most efficient ways to determine if someone has a high probability of experiencing glaucoma is by checking the intraocular pressure. The pressure in the eye can increase temporarily by many factors. Certain positions like being upside down, drinking coffee and weight lifting can momentarily elevate the pressure in your eyes. Measuring your eye pressure just after doing any of the previous activities can lead to a false reading.

This false reading could be the cause of wrong diagnosis. That’s why is very important to refrain from those activities just before getting your eyes checked. Even when the normal eye pressure can go up to 21 mmHg; many people can be on the limit of 21 mmHg and be completely fine. The pressures inside the eyes are measured by an instrument called a tonometer.

The intraocular pressure can vary greatly but when the readings are constantly over 22 mm Hg is called intraocular hypertension. The intraocular hypertension has many characteristics some of them are :a high eye pressure over 21 mmHg in one or both eyes in more than one occasion, no peripheral visual problems related to glaucoma, no damage to the optic nerve and no sign of any other eye disease. Having a high pressure in the eyes is not a condition but a way to indentify anyone who has a high risk of suffering from glaucoma. A person with glaucoma is likely to have high pressure in the eyes plus optic nerve damage and vision problems.

Another important test often used with the normal eye pressure test is the corneal thickness test. If the eyes have a corneal thickness of less than 555 microns the risk of suffering of glaucoma is many times higher than those with a thicker cornea. The thickness of the cornea is not a factor alone but when combined with the internal pressure of the eye it can be very important.

If you have a thick cornea there is chance that the instrument used to measure the pressure might show a false high eye pressure reading.

On the other hand measures of people with thin corneas might indicate a false low eye pressure. This fact can be very helpful in order to identify people at risk as people with thick corneas and low eye pressure are very low risk and the ones with thin corneas and high eye pressure are at very high risk of suffering from glaucoma.


Remember to get the pressure of your eyes checked at least every 2 years to prevent any complications in your vision.





Top

Return from Normal Eye Pressure to Eye Stroke

Back to How to Lower Blood Pressure Fast