Meditation enhances brain oxygenation, upregulates BDNF and improves quality of life in patients with primary open angle glaucoma: A randomized controlled trial
Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience October 29, 2018 M. Gagrani, M. Faiq, T. Sidhu et al.
A randomized controlled trial of 60 patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) found that adding 45 minutes of daily meditation to standard medical treatment for 6 weeks reduced intraocular pressure (from 15.9 to 14.4 mmHg), improved quality of life scores, increased brain oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex, and lowered stress markers including serum cortisol and interleukin-6, while increasing β-endorphins and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The control group, receiving only standard treatment, showed no significant changes. The authors suggest meditation may be a useful adjunct to standard treatment in POAG and could potentially decrease the risk of glaucoma progression.