Author: valoboe
Date: 2012-02-02 15:49
Straining, blowing hard into an oboe, or performing a valsava maneuver will not cause or increase the pressure of the fluid inside your eyes. These kind of activities will increase the blood pressure of the vessels in your head. Glaucoma is increased pressure of the fluid that is within the eyeball itself and this increased pressure actually inhibits the flow of blood into the vessels that supply the eye. Therefore, blowing the oboe, actually in theory would help more than harm an oboe player who also has glaucoma.
Keep playing the oboe. Don't worry about it causing or aggravating glaucoma. It might actually help if you have glaucoma.
As for glaucoma (as for high blood pressure), it is often a silent symptomless disease that is best caught early and is easily treated with medications. This disease is the primary reason that we all should have regular eye exams even if we are seeing clearly and are not experiencing any problems.
Conversely, a sudden drop in blood pressure can be dangerous for glaucoma patients. If the pressure of the eye fluid is too high (glaucoma), the pressure differential will prevent blood flow into the vessels that feed the eye. So besides having regular glaucoma tests and eye exams, regular blood pressure screenings and physicals are important and the two physicans should be made aware of each other and have the opportunity to work together and share their information.
Hope this info is helpful and puts your mind at ease about oboe playing.
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