Intraocular pressure correlated with arterial blood pressure: the beijing eye study

Purpose: To assess the relation of arterial blood pressure (BP) and intraocular pressure (IOP) in an adult population not using glaucoma medications.

Design: Cross-sectional population-based study.

Methods: The Beijing Eye Study 2006, a population-based, cross-sectional cohort study, included 3,253 subjects (age, 45 years or more). The mean age was 60.4 +/- 10.1 years. Seated BP and applanation tonometric IOP were measured, and their relation was assessed in regression models.

Results: After exclusion of subjects who had closed anterior chamber angles and an IOP of more than 21 mm Hg or who were receiving topical antiglaucomatous treatment, the study included 2,981 subjects. In multivariate regression analysis, IOP was correlated significantly with systolic BP (P < .001; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.011 to 0.022), diastolic BP (P < .001; 95% CI, 0.008 to 0.029), central corneal thickness (P < .001; 95% CI, 0.031 to 0.037), and myopic refractive error (P = .006; 95% CI, -0.103 to -0.015). Neither age (P = .17) nor body mass index (P = .20) were significantly associated with IOP.

Conclusions: IOP is associated significantly with systolic and diastolic BP.