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Updated: Aug 17, 2026
Trabecular Meshwork Response to Pressure Elevation in the Living Human Eye
Published on: June 20, 2015
Single intraocular pressure measurements and diurnal intraocular pressure profiles
Jost B Jonas1, Wido Budde, Andrea Stroux
1Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Clinical Medicine Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany. Jost.Jonas@augen.ma.uni-heidelberg.de
Purpose:
To evaluate the probability of a single intraocular pressure measurement to be the highest measurement within a diurnal intraocular pressure profile.
Design:
Hospital-based clinical, observational study.
Methods:
The study included 3,025 day-and-night intraocular pressure profiles measured on 1,072 eyes of 547 Caucasian glaucoma patients or glaucoma suspects. Applanation tonometry was performed at 7 am, noon, 5 pm, 9 pm, and midnight.
Results:
Intraocular pressure measurements were highest at 7 am, noon, 5 pm, 9 pm, and midnight, respectively, in 20.4%, 17.8%, 21.3% 13.9%, and 26.7% of the profiles, respectively. The measurement taken at 7 am was significantly (P < .001) closest to the maximal value of the profile.
Conclusions:
Any single intraocular pressure measurement taken between 7 am and 9 pm has a higher than 75% chance to miss the highest point of a diurnal curve. Intraocular pressure may be measured at different times of the day to have the best chance of observing the maximal value.
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