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Intraocular Pressure

Intraocular pressire (IOP) is the pressure within an eye that is elevated in instances of retinal disorders such as glaucoma, and contributes to the pathology. Supplements that reduce IOP are known to reduce pain and possible improve vision in these conditions.

Kamal Patel
Research analysis led by Kamal Patel.
All content reviewed by the Examine.com Team. Published: Jul 5, 2013
Last Updated:

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Things To Know & Note

Also Known As

IOP

Caution Notice

Examine.com Medical Disclaimer

Human Effect Matrix

The Human Effect Matrix looks at human studies (it excludes animal and in vitro studies) to tell you what supplements affect intraocular pressure
Grade Level of Evidence
Robust research conducted with repeated double-blind clinical trials
Multiple studies where at least two are double-blind and placebo controlled
Single double-blind study or multiple cohort studies
Uncontrolled or observational studies only
Level of Evidence
? The amount of high quality evidence. The more evidence, the more we can trust the results.
Outcome Magnitude of effect
? The direction and size of the supplement's impact on each outcome. Some supplements can have an increasing effect, others have a decreasing effect, and others have no effect.
Consistency of research results
? Scientific research does not always agree. HIGH or VERY HIGH means that most of the scientific research agrees.
Notes
grade-b
Ginkgo biloba
- Very High See all 3 studies
Despite the increase in ocular blood flow associated with repeated dosing of ginkgo biloba, there does not appear to be a significant modification of intraocular blood pressure in persons with normal IOP.
grade-c
Coleus forskohlii
Minor Very High See 2 studies
Eyedrops containing forskolin seem effective in reducing intraocular pressure (IOP), and while it seems effective orally those studies are currently confounded with the inclusion of other nutrients (and thus omitted from the HEM).
grade-c
Melatonin
Minor - See study
Oral supplementation of melatonin (500mcg) is able to reduce intraocular pressure in otherwise healthy persons

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The evidence for each separate supplement is still freely available ​here.
grade-c
Astaxanthin
 
grade-c
Cocoa Extract
 
grade-d
Marijuana
 
grade-d
CDP-choline
 

This page is regularly updated, to include the most recently available clinical trial evidence.

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