Tight necktie and risk of glaucoma

Wearing a necktie too tight increases the pressure of fluid within the eye, and that could lead to glaucoma according to a latest report by eye specialists. The fluid inside the eye normally drains slowly into the blood, which is carried away by the jugular vein in the neck. The new findings indicate that wearing a tight necktie obstructs the flow of blood and thereby produces a rise in pressure in the eyes.Glaucoma is a condition in which the pressure within the eye (intraocular pressure or IOP) increases. This happens when the fluid in the eyes called the aqueous humour, starts accumulating due to poor drainage. The resulting increase in pressure damages the optic nerve.Researchers from The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, USA measured eye fluid pressures in 20 normal subjects and 20 patients with glaucoma (all males). Pressures were measured with the shirt collar open, 3 minutes after placing a tight necktie, and 3 minutes after loosening it. In both groups, wearing a tight tie produced a significant rise in pressures. Loosening the tie brought the pressures back down. Constantly elevated pressure in the eye is definitely a risk factor for glaucoma.

A tight necktie increases IOP in both normal subjects and glaucoma patients and could affect the diagnosis and management of glaucoma, though it could take several years of wearing a tight tie to actually cause glaucoma. However, if a tie is worn during eye examinations, the elevated pressures could lead to a false diagnosis of glaucoma. According to the findings of this study, wearing a tight tie may lead to glaucoma over many years, and emphasizes that a tie should not be worn too tight.

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