Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Aug;91(8):1054-8.
doi: 10.1136/bjo.2006.109793. Epub 2007 Feb 21.

Fluctuations in intraocular pressure and the potential effect on aberrations of the eye

M Asejczyk-Widlicka  1 , B K Pierscionek
Affiliations

Fluctuations in intraocular pressure and the potential effect on aberrations of the eye

M Asejczyk-Widlicka et al. Br J Ophthalmol. 2007 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the fluctuations in intraocular pressure during the day and to see if these are associated with changes in corneal shape and in the patterns of ocular aberrations.

Methods: Intraocular pressure, corneal curvature, refractive error, spherical equivalent and aberrations (defocus (sphere); cylinder (astigmatism); coma, trefoil and third order spherical aberration) were measured in 17 healthy subjects three times during the day. The first measurement was made between 9:00 and 9:30, the second at midday (12:30-13:00) and the third in the afternoon (17:00-17:30). Aberrations, corneal shape, refractive error and pupil size (for which correction was made) were measured with an Irx3 Dynamic Wavefront Aberrometer. Intraocular pressures were measured using a non-contact tonometer (Cambridge Instruments Inc.) and calibrated with the Goldmann applanation tonometer.

Results: Variations in intraocular pressures were unrelated to age or refractive error. Statistically significant differences in intraocular pressure between morning and midday as well as between midday and afternoon were found. Intraocular pressure variations between midday and afternoon were associated with changes in spherical equivalent, corneal radius of curvature and aberrations (defocus, cylinder, coma, trefoil and spherical aberration) over the same time period. Aberration patterns varied between individuals, and no association was found between two eyes of the same subject.

Conclusions: Changes in intraocular pressure have no noticeable effect on image quality. This could be because the eye has a compensating mechanism to correct for any effect of ocular dynamics on corneal shape and refractive status. Such a mechanism may also affect the pattern of aberrations or it may be that aberrations alter in a way that offsets any potentially detrimental effects of intraocular pressure change on the retinal image. Variations in patterns of aberrations and how they may be related to ocular dynamics need to be investigated further before attempts at correction are made.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests. None declared.

References

    1. Bennett A G, Rabbetts R B. Proposals for new reduced and schematic eyes. Ophthal Physiol Opt 19899228–230. - PubMed
    1. Roorda A. A review of basic wavefront optics. In: Krueger R, Applegate R, MacRae S, eds. Wavefront customized visual correction. the quest for super vision II Thorofare: SLACK Inc, 20049–19.
    1. Thibos L N. The prospects for perfect vision. J Refract Surg 200016540–546. - PubMed
    1. Davson H. The aqueous humour and the intraocular pressure. In: Davson H, ed. Physiology of the eye. London: Macmillan Academic and Professional Ltd, 19903–65.
    1. Fatt I, Weissman B A. The intaocular pressure. In: Fatt I, Weissman BA, eds. Physiology of the eye. An introduction to the vegetative functions Stoneham: Butterworth‐Heinemann, 199231–76.