Researchers examined glaucoma patients’ health status after participating in yogic pranayama, known as breath regulation, and diaphragmatic breathing, which comprises deep inhalations and exhalations.*

When primary open-angle glaucoma patients performed breathing exercises for 30 minutes every day per week, they benefited from lowered intraocular pressure (IOP). This occurred under the supervision of a trained yoga instructor for the first four weeks and then was prescribed to the participants for 24 weeks to do at their own homes thereafter.

To perform diaphragmatic breathing, “Patients were asked to breathe in through the nose for about two seconds and experience the air moving through nostrils into the abdomen,” according to the study published in the Journal of Glaucoma. To exhale, participants would purse their lips, hold gently onto their stomach, and slowly exhale for about two seconds. This exercise was repeated five times.

Yogic pranayama differs in that it involves inhaling through one nostril and exhaling through another. This was repeated four more times.

The study involved 90 participants who received not only breathing exercise instruction but also used topical glaucoma medication during the 28 weeks, including participants in both the experimental and control groups. Researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) who conducted the study analyzed 180 eyes of 90 participants’ for IOP status at one, three, and six months.

They found that IOP was significantly reduced:

• In the right eye: from 20.85 mm Hg ± 3.39 mm Hg to 14.90 mm Hg ± 2.86 mm Hg, 
• In the left eye: from 20.30 mm Hg ± 4.12 mm Hg to 14.25 mm Hg ± 3.85 mm Hg, compared with controls who were also prescribed topical glaucoma medication.

They also analyzed whether the breathing practices impacted visual field or average retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in both the experimental and control groups, yet no significant changes were observed. Future research should analyze these factors further by measuring IOP more than once daily as they did in this study, as IOP changes throughout the day.

However, the significant reduction in IOP demonstrated in this study provides patients with a promising way to lower eye pressure while taking prescribed medication. Past research and data also point to a positive relationship between yogic practices on ocular status, as well as with conditions like asthma, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and aging.

*Majorino, C. (2021, March 1). Yogic Breathing Exercises Can Reduce Intraocular Pressure. Ophthalmology Advisor. https://www.ophthalmologyadvisor.com/topics/glaucoma/yogic-breathing-exercises-regulates-glaucoma-intraocular-pressure/