Abstract
Purpose :
To determine the magnitude of IOP elevations associated with rubbing the eyes.
Methods :
Three young adult nonhuman primates (NHPs) were briefly anesthetized with ketamine & dextomidor, and antibiotic ointment was placed in both eyes. The anesthetic was immediately reversed with antisedan, and the animals immediately recovered. IOP was recorded at 500 measurements per second using a validated implantable wireless telemetry system (IOVS 52(10):7365-75) and high-definition video was recorded while the NHP rubbed its eyes to remove the ointment. The experiment was repeated four times in each NHP, with numerous eye rubs recorded for each session, and these data were marked and analyzed using Notocord-HEM software.
Results :
IOP increased as much as 310 mmHg due to rubbing the eye (Figure). The highest IOP elevations were associated with rubbing the eye and orbit with the back of the hand or wrist, rather than the fingers or knuckle. Eye rubs elicited mean IOP elevations of ~80-150 mmHg for 3-4 seconds, with peak IOPs reaching 205-310 mmHg depending on the NHP and eye (Table).
Conclusions :
Rubbing the eyes causes short-term IOP elevations that can exceed 300 mmHg.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.