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Alcohol and open angle glaucoma--influence on detection, IOP, BP/IOP ratios
Journal of the American Optometric Association
|April 1, 1978
Summary
Moderate alcohol consumption may lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in open-angle glaucoma patients, suggesting it is not contraindicated. However, alcohol intake before screening could lead to missed glaucoma detection due to altered IOP and blood pressure ratios.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Open-angle glaucoma management requires accurate intraocular pressure (IOP) monitoring.
- Glaucoma screening often utilizes IOP measurements and blood pressure (BP) to IOP ratios (sBP/IOP, dBP/IOP).
- The impact of moderate ethyl alcohol ingestion on these glaucoma diagnostic parameters is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if moderate ethyl alcohol intake affects intraocular pressure (IOP) in open-angle glaucoma.
- To determine if alcohol consumption interferes with glaucoma detection methods based on IOP or BP/IOP ratios.
Main Methods:
- Seventy-three adult subjects ingested alcohol at 1 ml/kg body weight.
- Intraocular pressure (IOP), systolic blood pressure (sBP), and diastolic blood pressure (dBP) were measured every 15 minutes for 90 minutes post-ingestion.
Main Results:
- Alcohol ingestion led to a significant reduction in IOP, sBP, and dBP.
- The ratios of sBP/IOP and dBP/IOP increased following alcohol consumption.
- This effect was observed even in subjects with a baseline sBP/IOP below 5.75.
Conclusions:
- Moderate alcohol consumption is unlikely to be contraindicated for patients with open-angle glaucoma as it may reduce IOP.
- Consuming alcohol 1-2 hours before glaucoma screening may lead to false-negative results due to altered IOP and BP/IOP ratios, potentially causing missed diagnoses.