Yoga and Glaucoma patients – A Heads Up on Head-down Yoga
Yoga & Glaucoma
Yoga is a practice that people use to enhance their health. For those with glaucoma, there are certain positions that may spell trouble. In four common positions in which the head is down, they found IOP (intraocular pressure) dramatically rises. This may be a cause for concern. The study had yoga patients in four common yoga positions with their head lower than their bodies. The four positions were downward-facing dog, standing forward fold, plow pose and legs-up-the-wall and the positions were held for 1 minute.
Dr. Robert Ritch MD advises those with glaucoma to be wary of maneuvers in which the head is down. “If you have glaucoma, watch out for positional changes where you have your head upside down,” he said. “If you have severe glaucoma, be careful.”
