In patients with glaucoma, a high-pillow sleeping posture defined by elevating the head 20° to 35° was associated with significantly higher intraocular pressure and greater 24-hour intraocular pressure fluctuation along with reduced ocular perfusion pressure compared with a supine posture in this observational study of 144 patients, and greater postural pressure changes were linked to thicker central corneal thickness and primary open-angle glaucoma; ultrasonography in healthy volunteers suggested that this posture may compress the jugular veins and alter venous blood flow, implying that avoiding sleeping postures that induce venous compression could be a modifiable factor in intraocular pressure management.

Source: The British Journal of Ophthalmology