stress and its effects on iop

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9677551 

anybody seen this? 

 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10579420?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=1&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed

and this

Nancy - thanks for posting that link. Here's the abstract. We have a few FitEyes.com members who read German. Maybe one of them has read the original. I have not.

[Effect of mental and physical stress on intraocular pressure--a pilot study]

Universitäts-Augenklinik, Tübingen.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of phasic stressors on intraocular pressure (IOP). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We exposed 15 ophthalmologically and systemically healthy non-smoking subjects (m:f = 8:7; mean age 25.4 years) to both bicycle ergometry physical stress and a computer-game psychological stress. IOP, blood pressure, and subjective stress were measured. To adjust for between-subject variance, we calculated intra-subject z-scores based on IOP values. Because of the habituation occurring during repeated tonometric measurements, we tested the significance of the difference between the observed and expected IOP z-values for each of the stressors. The expected IOP value was the mean of the pre- and post-stress relaxation-period values. Student's t-tests were used to assess the impact of the stressors on blood pressure. RESULTS: Both stressors increased the systolic blood pressure, but only under mental stress was the intraocular-pressure increase statistically significant (p = 0.048). DISCUSSION: The selective increase in intraocular pressure during mental stress by similar reaction of blood pressure to both stressors is a hint for possible different regulation circuits in the autonomic nerve system for intraocular- and blood pressure, respectively. Additionally, it was possible to demonstrate that mental stress could lead to a rise in intraocular pressure.

Here's the abstract for that second link. Thanks again for supplying the link.

Biol Psychol. 1999 Oct;51(1):43-57

Intraocular pressure changes: the influence of psychological stress and the Valsalva maneuver.

Brody S, Erb C, Veit R, Rau H.

Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Germany.

The effects of psychological stress and the Valsalva maneuver on short-term variations of intraocular pressure (IOP) were studied in 49 healthy adults. Psychological stress consisted of mental arithmetic tasks presented in counterbalanced order by computer and by the experimenter. Additionally, a standardized Valsalva maneuver was performed (in counterbalanced order with the psychological stressors). IOP was measured with a Goldmann tonometer before and after performance of each stressor. All three stressors transiently and highly significantly increased IOP, although the Valsalva maneuver produced changes of a greater magnitude (10.2 mmHg) than the psychological stressors (1.3 mmHg). Subjective stress ratings and heart rate increased in response to all stressors. There were no effects of task sequence, eye muscle tension, sex, smoking status (some smokers misreported their smoking status), or regular marijuana use, but regular physical exercise was associated with less IOP increase during psychological stress.

 that valsava movemen -   is that why i've heard that a person should be sure they don't hold their breath when iop is taken?  that if you hold your breath, the iop goes considerably higher?

You mean the Valsalva maneuver. You can read about it on wikipedia at this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valsalva_maneuver

The Valsalva maneuver is more forceful than just holding one's breath. But you are right that one should not hold one's breath when IOP is measured.