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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Translaminar Autonomous System Model for the Modulation of Intraocular and Intracranial Pressure in Human Donor Posterior Segments
Published on: April 24, 2020
No correlation between intraocular pressure and intracranial pressure
Ying Han1, Timothy J McCulley, Jonathan C Horton
1Department of Ophthalmology, Beckman Vision Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement cannot substitute for intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring. A study found no correlation between IOP and ICP, indicating IOP is not a reliable noninvasive indicator of ICP.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- A previous study suggested a correlation between intraocular pressure (IOP) and intracranial pressure (ICP).
- This implied IOP measurement could be a noninvasive method for estimating ICP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reevaluate the relationship between IOP and ICP.
- To determine if IOP can serve as a noninvasive substitute for ICP measurement.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records from neuro-ophthalmology patients.
- Analysis of IOP and ICP data from 55 patients who underwent lumbar puncture between 1991 and 2007.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant correlation was found between IOP and ICP (Pearson correlation coefficient, r = 0.07; p = 0.59).
- The findings contradict previous reports suggesting a link between the two pressures.
Conclusions:
- IOP measurement is not a reliable or useful substitute for direct ICP measurement.
- Further research may be needed to understand the complex relationship between ocular and intracranial pressures.
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