Adopting the ‘365 breathing technique’ helped reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) in primary openangle glaucoma patients, a new study has found. In this randomised, controlled, interventional trial, 40 subjects were asked to adopt the ‘365 breathing technique’ in addition to their pharmacological glaucoma treatment. A control group of 40 participants continued only with their pharmacological glaucoma treatment.

Many therapists use a 365 breathing technique to counter accumulated stress, reduce anxiety, and improve sustained attention. The technique requires people, three times a day, to breathe six times per minute (inhaling for five seconds and exhaling for five seconds each time) for five minutes.

In this study, published in the Journal of Glaucoma,1 IOP, serum cortisol, heart rate variability (HRV), and heart rate response to the deep breathing test (DBT) were recorded at pre-intervention and six weeks post-intervention. The two groups were comparable at baseline, but at six weeks follow-up, the group using the breathing technique had significantly lower mean IOP and serum cortisol. They also demonstrated improved autonomic dysfunction.

Reference available at mivision.com.au