Effect of seasons upon intraocular pressure in healthy population of China.

Qureshi,  Imran Ahmad; Xi,  Xiao Rong; Lu,  Hui Juan; Wu,  Xiang Dong; Huang,  Yang Bin; Shiarkar,  Ekhtiar

doi:1996.10.1.29

Korean J Ophthalmol > Volume 10(1); 1996 > Article

Original Article

Korean Journal of Ophthalmology 1996;10(1):29-33.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/kjo.1996.10.1.29 Published online June 30, 1996.

Effect of seasons upon intraocular pressure in healthy population of China.

Imran Ahmad Qureshi, Xiao Rong Xi, Hui Juan Lu, Xiang Dong Wu, Yang Bin Huang, Ekhtiar Shiarkar

¹Department of Physiology, Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi-Pakistan.
²Departmert of Ophthalmology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Shanghai Medical University, P.R. China.

Abstract

Studies have been shown that intraocular pressure (IOP) shows a seasonal variation, but amount of change differs from study to study. The variability in their results may be due to negligence of factors that can affect IOP. Due to differences in environmental conditions of China than other countries, we investigated seasonal variations in IOP of 103 healthy male Chinese of Shanghai. IOP was measured each month over the course of fourteen months with the Goldmann applanation tonometer. The average intraocular pressures in the winter months were higher than those in the spring, summer, and autumn months. The IOP difference between winter and summer months was found to be 1.4 +/- 0.7 mmHg.This study confirms that season influences IOP. As compared to other nations, effect of seasons on IOP seems to be somewhat less pronounced in Chinese. The possible mechanisms, responsible for the seasonal variation of intraocular pressure, are also postulated.

Key Words: applanation pressure;environmental factors;healthy subjects;seasons;tonometry