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Tie it up tight, but watch the eye
New York, July 31: Go ahead, loosen that tie. You could be saving your vision. A study published on Tuesday in the British Journal of Ophthalmology found that wearing a tightly tied necktie had a significant effect on blood pressure within the eye, which it called the most important known risk factor for the development of glaucoma, a disease in which the optic nerve is progressively damaged.
New York, July 31: Go ahead, loosen that tie. You could be saving your vision. A study published on Tuesday in the British Journal of Ophthalmology found that wearing a tightly tied necktie had a significant effect on blood pressure within the eye, which it called the most important known risk factor for the development of glaucoma, a disease in which the optic nerve is progressively damaged.
The study also suggested that wearing a tight tie could throw off the findings of tests for glaucoma during optical exams. In the study, led by Dr Robert Ritch of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, 20 healthy men and 20 men with the most common form of glaucoma had their intraocular blood pressure measured wearing open shirt collars. The pressure was taken again after they wore a tightly knotted tie for three minutes, and finally three minutes after the tie was loosened.
The pressure increased in all the men’s eyes. It went up by an average of two millimeters of mercury in the healthy men, and by four millimeters in the glaucoma patients, and by significantly more in a few patients.
The study also suggested that wearing a tight tie could throw off the findings of tests for glaucoma during optical exams. In the study, led by Dr Robert Ritch of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, 20 healthy men and 20 men with the most common form of glaucoma had their intraocular blood pressure measured wearing open shirt collars. The pressure was taken again after they wore a tightly knotted tie for three minutes, and finally three minutes after the tie was loosened.
The pressure increased in all the men’s eyes. It went up by an average of two millimeters of mercury in the healthy men, and by four millimeters in the glaucoma patients, and by significantly more in a few patients.
Speculating that the tie might raise blood pressure by constricting flow through the jugular vein, the researchers concluded that wearing a tight necktie should be considered a risk factor for glaucoma, particularly for men with thick necks or those who wear ties every day.
Bureau Report