Loosening Ties Helps the Eyes
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Here's another reason to opt for business casual: Researchers from the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary say wearing a tight necktie during an eye exam might increase your chances of being misdiagnosed with glaucoma. It could even lead to the development of the disease itself.
Glaucoma is most closely associated with evaluated intraocular pressure, or IOP, and eye doctors use this measurement to both diagnose the disease and prescribe treatments to manage it. Accurate measurement of IOP is paramount to accurate diagnosis and treatment. These investigators speculated wearing a tight necktie during an eye exam might raise IOP, leading to a false diagnosis of glaucoma. Too many hours spent in such a tie might also raise the risk of developing the eye disease.
To test their theories, researchers measured IOP in 20 normal subjects and 20 who had been previously diagnosed with glaucoma. All participants were men, and each underwent the test three times: first with an open collar, then three minutes after putting on a tight necktie, and three minutes after loosening the tie.
The researchers found their theories were right. The tight necktie raised IOP in both those with normal eyes and those with glaucoma.
The authors speculate the rise in pressure may be due to the fact that the necktie unduly constricts the jugular vein. But whatever the circumstance, they believe men should be advised to take off the tie before getting an eye exam. They write: "If the patient has a tight necktie while getting his IOP checked, this can lead to an inadvertent diagnosis of ocular hypertension or misinterpretation of a risk for disease progression by an inexperienced clinician. The pressure increase is indeed real, but would not have been present had the patient not had the constriction around his neck."
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SOURCE: British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2003;87:946-948
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