Meditation Might Help Treat a Common Eye Disease, Study Suggests

Meditation may be helpful in treating glaucoma, a new study suggests.

The research found that a short course of mindfulness-based stress reduction by meditation reduced intraocular pressure, normalized stress biomarkers and positively modified gene expression in patients with primary-open angle glaucoma, the American Optometric Association reports.

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The research was published in the Journal of Glaucoma. It suggests a possible role for meditation as an adjunctive clinical therapy.

The findings “provide tantalizing insight about a therapeutic option that may accompany tried-and-true pharmaceuticals, as well as hint at the role stress may play in glaucoma,” according to AOA.

Researchers “hope this latest study can validate another option for helping prevent irreversible optic nerve head damage.”

For the study, researchers enrolled 90 primary-open angle glaucoma patients and directed a study group to 21 days of daily, hour-long mindfulness meditation under the supervision of a certified meditation teacher.

The researchers said future studies should address how long the changes last and whether mindfulness meditation helps visual field function over time.

Read more at the AOA