Effect of exercise on intraocular pressure and pulsatile ocular blood flow in a young normal population.
OBJECTIVE
The hypotensive effect of exercise on intraocular pressure is well documented, however, little is known about the effect of exercise on pulsatile ocular blood flow. This study examines this effect and follows the recovery of intraocular pressure and pulsatile ocular blood flow after a standard exercise period.


METHODS
Eighteen visually normal subjects participated in a 4-min period of bicycle ergometry. Intraocular pressure and pulsatile ocular blood flow were measured by pneumotonometry before, immediately after exercise, and at regular intervals during the recovery period.


RESULTS
Intraocular pressure was found to decrease significantly with strenuous exercise and recovered gradually toward baseline over a period of 30 min. Pulsatile ocular blood flow increased significantly immediately after exercise then returned to baseline levels between 5 and 10 min after stopping exercise.


CONCLUSIONS
This study confirms the hypotensive effect of exercise on intraocular pressure and shows that exercise significantly increases pulsatile ocular blood flow.
Price
Emma L
EL
Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 0BA, Scotland, UK. e.price@gcal.ac.uk
Gray
Lyle S
LS
Humphries
Lyndsay
L
Zweig
Carolyn
C
Button
Norman F
NF
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005123:Eye / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular