Exercise guide
Glaucoma is damage to the nerve that connects the eye to the brain, usually caused by raised pressure inside the eye. Having glaucoma shouldn't stop you exercising. Aerobic exercise such as walking, cycling and swimming lowers eye pressure for a while afterwards, and in studies that followed people with glaucoma, the more active lost side vision more slowly, though that doesn't prove exercise caused it. Exercise doesn't replace your eye drops, laser or surgery, which are what protect your sight.
A few things raise eye pressure while you do them: head-down yoga poses, heavy lifting with a held breath, long leg holds and tight swimming goggles. Nobody knows whether these short rises harm glaucoma over time, because the studies measured eye pressure for minutes, mostly in healthy young adults. Limiting them is a precaution that eye charities and eye doctors advise.
This guide explains what helps, what to change, how to look after your balance if your side vision is affected, exercise after glaucoma laser or surgery, and the eye symptoms that need help straight away. Your eye team knows your type and stage of glaucoma, so check anything you're unsure about with them.
Glaucoma UK says having glaucoma should not stop you from getting daily exercise. Exercise doesn't replace treatment: lowering eye pressure with drops, laser or surgery is what protects your sight, so keep using your drops as prescribed.
One session of aerobic exercise lowers eye pressure afterwards, about twice as much in people who weren't active before. In a small study, 3 months of training lowered it by 20%, but it was back up within 3 weeks of stopping. In one study, people with glaucoma who walked more lost side vision more slowly, though that doesn't prove walking caused it.
Downward dog raised eye pressure by about three-quarters and a standing forward bend by about half, and it fell back within 2 minutes of sitting up; a headstand doubled it. Skip headstands, shoulder stands and other full inversions, and keep other head-down poses brief or use a supported version.
Eye pressure rises during heavy lifts, most with big lifts, heavy loads, long sets and a held breath, and settles within about a minute. Use moderate weights and breathe out through each effort. If you swim, Glaucoma UK advises larger goggles, because small ones press on the eye socket.
People with glaucoma in England were about 38% more likely to have a fall recorded than people of the same age and sex without it. Strength and balance exercise cuts falls in older people by about a quarter; do balance work 3 or more times a week.
Intense eye pain with a red eye, blurred vision, rainbow-coloured circles around lights, a headache or feeling sick can mean glaucoma has come on suddenly. The NHS (National Health Service) says call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency).
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In glaucoma, the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, is damaged, usually because fluid can't drain from the eye as it should and the pressure builds up. Some people have damage with eye pressure in the normal range. Higher than normal pressure without nerve damage is called ocular hypertension, and is monitored in case glaucoma develops.
Primary open-angle glaucoma is the commonest type in the UK: it develops slowly and has no symptoms at first. In angle-closure glaucoma, the drainage angle is blocked, either gradually or suddenly in an attack. Secondary glaucomas follow another condition, such as pigment dispersion syndrome, which is more common in young, short-sighted men.
About 2% of people over 40 have open-angle glaucoma, rising to almost 10% over 75. The risk is higher if you're over 50, if a parent, brother or sister has it, if you're from a Black African, Caribbean or Asian background, or if you're short-sighted, long-sighted or have diabetes. Glaucoma UK says brothers, sisters and children of someone with glaucoma may be up to 10 times more likely to develop it, and the NHS advises an eye test at least every 2 years.
Glaucoma usually affects your side (peripheral) vision first, often without you noticing. Glaucoma UK says that out of 20 people with glaucoma, about 17 barely notice any vision loss, about 2 have loss that affects daily life such as driving, and about 1 has severe loss. NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) says most people having treatment will have a good quality of life and won't go blind.
There's no cure, but eye drops, laser treatment and surgery slow the damage and help stop your sight getting worse. NICE recommends laser treatment first for many people newly diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma. Sight that glaucoma has already damaged can't be brought back.
Eye pressure goes up and down with posture and effort. Head-down positions, heavy lifting, tight goggles and even a tight necktie raise it while they last, and aerobic exercise lowers it for a while afterwards. Glaucoma UK says there is no proof that any of these worsen glaucoma.
Across 10 studies, one session of aerobic exercise lowered eye pressure, almost twice as much in people who weren't active as in people who were. In 9 inactive people suspected of having glaucoma, 3 months of aerobic training lowered eye pressure by 20%, but it went back up within 3 weeks of stopping; the study was small and had no comparison group. A review of 15 studies in people with glaucoma found the longer-term effects varied. Walking at a slow or fast pace didn't raise eye pressure in 21 people with glaucoma.
In 141 people with glaucoma wearing activity trackers, about 5,000 more steps a day went with roughly 10% slower loss of side vision, and in 80 people followed for about 5 years, more activity predicted slower loss. In 9,519 US adults, people who met the activity guidelines were about half as likely to develop glaucoma. But in about 94,000 people in UK Biobank, and in a US study of 266 people with glaucoma, activity wasn't linked with glaucoma. These studies can't show cause and effect, and a 2026 review calls the link likely but unproven.
In 10 people with glaucoma and 10 without, held for 2 minutes, eye pressure rose within a minute in all four poses tested: by about 75% in downward dog, 50% to 60% in a standing forward bend, and about 25% to 33% in plough and legs up the wall, and it fell back within 2 minutes of sitting up. Glaucoma and healthy eyes rose alike. A headstand doubled eye pressure in 75 yoga practitioners for as long as it was held, and hanging upside down raised it from 14 to 36 mmHg (millimetres of mercury) in 16 volunteers.
The studies measured eye pressure for minutes, mostly in healthy young adults, not glaucoma getting worse over years. A pilot study of 28 people suspected of having glaucoma found that responses to lying head-down helped predict later nerve loss, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) describes one woman whose glaucoma stopped getting worse when she gave up 20-minute daily headstands. The Sight Advice service says it's not known whether these short rises cause problems in the long term, so the advice to limit them is a precaution.
A review of 34 studies in healthy adults aged 55 or under found eye pressure rose during resistance exercise, by up to about 29 mmHg, more with big movements such as squats and leg presses, heavier loads, longer sets and a held breath, and it settled within about a minute. Holding the breath in the bench press roughly doubled the rise (4.3 against 2.2 mmHg), and heavy leg presses raised it by 26 mmHg on average in 24 young adults. Leg holds raised it too, and in 25 people with glaucoma, holds raised it less than in people without, and it settled quickly.
In four lab studies, wearing goggles raised eye pressure by about 3 to 10 mmHg for as long as they were worn, more with smaller goggles and tighter straps, and it fell back once they came off. None measured people while swimming. Glaucoma UK advises larger goggles, especially after a trabeculectomy.
In England, 90,177 people with glaucoma had about 38% more falls and 31% more fractures than people of the same age and sex without it. In a US study of 230 people with glaucoma or suspected glaucoma, 45% fell within a year, and more side vision loss meant more falls per step walked. Most falls happened in or around the home, from tripping or slipping, and balance is poorer with side vision loss.
Across 108 trials in older people living at home, exercise cut the rate of falls by 23%, and balance and functional exercises by 24%. The World Falls Guidelines recommend balance and functional exercise 3 or more times a week, made harder over at least 12 weeks. No falls prevention trial has been done in glaucoma itself; the trials so far are small pilots.
Eye drops, laser and surgery lower eye pressure and are what slow glaucoma down, and Glaucoma UK says there is no substitute for them. In a trial of 90 people with glaucoma, 21 days of mindfulness meditation lowered eye pressure (from about 19 to 13 mmHg), and slow yogic breathing lowered it in small trials, but these are early findings and never a reason to stop your drops.
Our editorial starting point: 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, cycling or swimming, as the NHS recommends for adults. In the AAO's EyeNet update, a New York glaucoma specialist advises 45 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 or 4 times a week.
Walking at a slow or fast pace, with or without a load, didn't raise eye pressure in people with glaucoma, and a programme asking 35 people with glaucoma to add 500 steps a week raised their activity by at least half and kept it up for 6 months.
The drop in eye pressure after exercise was biggest in people who weren't active before, so starting gently still helps.
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Build towards 150 minutes a week at a pace where you can talk but not sing (our editorial starting point); the elliptical trainer page's dose is 10 to 20 minutes at a moderate effort, building towards 30, and choose larger goggles for swimming.
An AAO glaucoma specialist calls headstands and shoulder stands "a real no-no" for people with glaucoma, Glaucoma UK says avoid headstands, and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society advises avoiding handstands and head-down positions. The Glaucoma Research Foundation adds plough to the poses to be careful with, and inversion tables and upside-down aerial yoga belong on the same list: hanging upside down more than doubled eye pressure in volunteers.
Downward dog and standing forward bends raised eye pressure most of the poses tested, and Glaucoma UK says head-down positions held for a long time should be avoided. The AAO's answer for patients counts any position with your head below your body as an inversion, including bridge pose. The AAO's EyeNet update suggests ways to keep your head higher:
The AAO's EyeNet update describes a version at the wall, often called half dog: put your hands on the wall, step back and bend forward at the hips, keeping your head in line with your arms rather than letting it drop towards the floor. No study has measured eye pressure in this or the other supported versions, so they are expert advice, not tested.
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The AAO's yoga advice for glaucoma: breathe out gently and slowly, and don't hold your breath or restrict the out-breath. That includes the out-breath of ujjayi breathing, made through a narrowed throat; breathe out normally instead. Choose a slow style that uses props and adapts poses to you.
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The Sight Advice service suggests asking your hospital eye doctor about yoga, and the AAO suggests getting their agreement before any pose that puts your head below your heart, especially with advanced glaucoma.
These keep your head above your heart (our selection, following the AAO's principle); the mountain pose page's dose is 5 to 10 slow breaths, 2 or 3 times, and keep tree pose near a wall.
3D demoMountain pose (Tadasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoChair pose (Utkatasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWarrior I (Virabhadrasana I)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoWarrior II (Virabhadrasana II)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoTree pose (Vrksasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoCat-cowBeginner · No equipment
3D demoEasy pose (Sukhasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSupine spinal twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSlow breathing (6 breaths a minute)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoAlternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana)Beginner · No equipmentThe AAO says it's crucial to keep breathing out through the hardest part of a lift, to avoid straining against a closed throat (the Valsalva manoeuvre), which can raise eye pressure a lot. The rises are biggest with big lifts, heavy weights and long sets, so moderate weights and shorter sets keep them smaller.
The Canadian Ophthalmological Society suggests limiting resistance training to low or moderate intensity, breathing out, and avoiding weightlifting altogether in moderate to advanced glaucoma. The Glaucoma Research Foundation says heavy lifting isn't advised but light weights of 5 to 10 pounds (about 2 to 4.5 kg) don't seem to affect eye pressure, and a UK specialist optometrist says the evidence isn't strong enough to tell people to give up activities. Ask your eye team, especially if your glaucoma is advanced.
Holding a position, such as a wall sit, raises eye pressure while you hold it, more at a harder effort. Keep holds short and keep breathing; the researchers who tested holds in people with glaucoma suggest they can be part of training if the effort is managed.
Strength exercises on 2 days a week, as the NHS recommends: 1 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions with a weight you could lift a few more times, breathing out on every effort and stopping well short of your limit (our editorial starting point).
Two days a week, 10 to 15 steady repetitions, breathing out on each effort (our editorial starting point); the band row page's dose is 3 sets of 10 to 15, stopping 2 to 3 repetitions short of failure.
3D demoSit to stand from a chairBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step
3D demoSplit squatIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoBand rowBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoSeated cable rowBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoChest press machineBeginner · Strength machine
3D demoWall push-upBeginner · A wall
3D demoIncline push-upBeginner · A bench or boxGlaucoma UK says it's best to wear larger goggles, because smaller ones press on the eye socket, which raises eye pressure. In lab studies, smaller goggles and tighter straps raised it more. Our suggestion: choose goggles that sit on the bone around your eye rather than pressing into it, loosen the strap as far as you can while keeping water out, and take them off between sessions.
Glaucoma UK says larger goggles matter even more after eye surgery, especially a trabeculectomy, because small ones may press on the bleb, the small blister the operation creates. Ask your eye team when you can swim: one NHS leaflet says no swimming or hot tubs for at least a month after a trabeculectomy, and an older one says 6 weeks.
People with glaucoma have more falls and broken bones than other people their age, and the risk rises as more side vision is lost. In one study, people with advanced glaucoma were the most likely to have fallen, while fear of falling and avoiding activities peaked at the moderate stage.
Balance and functional exercises, such as standing on one leg, heel-to-toe walking and getting up from a chair, cut falls in older people. The World Falls Guidelines recommend them 3 or more times a week, made harder over at least 12 weeks, and the NHS suggests strength and balance activities at least twice a week, regular eye tests and a GP (general practitioner) check if you're worried about your balance.
In the Cochrane review, programmes of walking alone had uncertain effects on falls; the programmes that worked mainly used balance and functional exercises.
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Most falls in people with glaucoma happen in or around the home. RNIB (the Royal National Institute of Blind People) suggests:
Three or more times a week, next to a counter, in good light, on a clear floor; the side-stepping page's dose is 10 steps each way, next to a counter, and the get up and down from the floor page's is 5 to 8 slow cycles down and up, changing the leading leg.
From the NHS falls page. If you can't get up, or may have hurt your head, back, neck or hip, call for help instead.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Get up and down from the floor
Exercise as normal, with the precautions on this page: skip full inversions, keep other head-down poses brief or supported, breathe out when you lift, and choose larger goggles.
Ask your eye team before heavy lifting, long holds and any head-down pose; one professional body suggests avoiding weightlifting altogether. Balance work and making your home safer matter more as side vision is lost.
We found no exercise limits specific to angle closure. Know the signs of a sudden attack, below, and ask your eye team whether any advice applies to you.
In a study of 24 people with these conditions, 45 minutes of jogging released pigment inside the eye more often than in people without them. The authors don't think everyone needs to avoid exercise, but suggest a check before and after jogging, or harder or more jarring exercise, if you do it regularly: ask your eye team.
If you also have diabetic retinopathy, follow the extra cautions in our diabetic retinopathy guide, which cover head-down positions, jumping and heavy lifting.
Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is done in an eye clinic in about 20 minutes, and Glaucoma UK says you can usually go back to your normal activities the day after; don't drive yourself home. After laser iridotomy, used for narrow angles or angle closure, you can usually go back to normal activities after a few days.
Glaucoma UK says it usually takes about 1 to 2 weeks to recover from minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS).
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Glaucoma UK says the eye takes several weeks to recover, and you'll need to avoid some types of physical activity. Hospital leaflets differ, so follow your own eye unit's:
Timolol eye drops are a beta blocker, and some of the medicine passes into your blood. A slow or irregular heartbeat is one of their rare serious side effects, and they may not suit people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or a slow heartbeat. Go by how hard exercise feels rather than your heart rate, and never stop or change your drops yourself.
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The NHS says close your eye after the drops and gently press on the inside corner, by your nose, for 2 minutes, to help keep the drops in your eye. If the drops blur your vision, don't drive, ride a bike or use machinery until it clears.
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The cardio, chair yoga, swim and balance workouts keep your head up. In the gym workout, keep the leg press moderate and breathe out on every push, because heavy leg presses raised eye pressure the most (our suggestion).
A steady 30 to 45 minute cardio session at talk-but-not-sing pace: walk, cycle, row or cross-train, counting toward weekly activity guidelines.
40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallA steady bike ride for a first triathlon or fitness: 5 to 10 minutes easy, a ride you can talk through, optional short faster bursts and an easy cool-down.
45 minBeginner4 movesCardio machine, A wallA 10-minute routine for straight after a meal: an easy walk, a few simple standing moves from blood sugar trials, then a short walk to finish.
10 minBeginner6 movesCardio machine, A bench or boxA 30 to 45-minute beginner pool swim: a shoulder warm-up on the side, easy lengths, a main set of repeats with rests, and an easy swim down, any stroke.
35 minBeginner5 movesOther / check instructionsA free 20-minute chair yoga class for older adults: slow breathing, gentle seated stretches and twists, standing poses holding the chair, and a calm finish.
20 minBeginner18 movesA bench or box, Something with weightA 40-minute strength and balance session for over-65s, built from the Otago home programme and NHS exercises, using a chair, a counter and a step.
40 minBeginner18 movesA bench or box, Something with weightBalance practice in 10 minutes: tandem stance, single-leg stands, marches, heel walks, tree pose and floor transfers.
10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A bench or boxA 50-minute gym session for older adults and sarcopenia: 7 machines for the legs, chest and back from the UK prescription, then a short balance finish.
50 minBeginner12 movesCardio machine, A bench or boxThe walking plan builds to 150 minutes a week, and the plan for seniors adds strength and balance.
A free 8-week walking plan for beginners: build to 150 minutes of brisk walking a week, with intervals, hills and two short strength sessions.
6 training days40 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week exercise plan for over-65s: strength and balance three times a week, short balance sessions and daily walks, based on falls-prevention trials.
3 training days40 minBeginnerThis is general information, not a diagnosis. In the US, call 911 where this page says 999.
The NHS says this is a medical emergency that may need immediate treatment. Don't drive yourself: ask someone to drive you, or call 999. Signs include:
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Glaucoma UK says milder attacks happen more often in the evening, with misty vision, coloured rings around white lights, discomfort in the eye or a red eye. They may come and go, but get medical advice straight away, because they can be a warning of a more serious attack.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you have blurred or double vision, flashing lights or shapes, a dark shadow moving across your vision, pain in one or both eyes, or an eye that's red and painful. Go to A&E or call 999 if you suddenly can't see from one or both eyes, or suddenly have severe eye pain.
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Eye pain, sudden blurring, rainbow rings around lights, or a headache with feeling sick aren't normal effects of exercise: stop, and use the NHS advice above (our suggestion).
Hospital leaflets list increasing pain or redness, a watery or sticky discharge, eyelid swelling, and reduced or lost vision. Infection can, very rarely, start months or years after glaucoma surgery: Gloucestershire Hospitals says increasing pain, redness and worsening vision mean contact the eye department immediately. Keep your eye unit's phone number with you (our suggestion).
Call 999 if you or someone else has fallen and may have hurt their head, back, neck or hip, or can't get up. Get help from NHS 111 if they may be in pain, injured or unwell, and see a GP after a fall, or if you're worried about your balance.
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The NHS says call 999 if you think you're having a severe allergic reaction, a serious heart problem, such as chest pain or a slow, fast or irregular heartbeat, or a stroke. For any other serious side effect, call NHS 111. Keep using your drops unless you're told to stop.
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Your hospital eye team or glaucoma clinic first, then your optometrist, GP or NHS 111. Glaucoma UK's helpline is on 01233 64 81 70, and RNIB's on 0303 123 9999.
Glaucoma UK says having glaucoma should not stop you from getting daily exercise, and the AAO's answer on aerobic exercise is "Definitely".
Glaucoma UK says there is no substitute for conventional treatment: keep up with your drops. In a small study, training lowered eye pressure, but it was back up within 3 weeks of stopping.
There's no cure, and sight lost to glaucoma can't be brought back. Small trials of yogic gazing and slow breathing lowered eye pressure a little in the short term; they aren't a treatment.
The rises were measured in head-down poses. Head-up poses keep the eyes above the heart, the principle the AAO uses to adapt poses, and meditation and slow breathing lowered eye pressure in small trials.
A headstand doubled it, but the rise was smaller in other poses: about 75% in downward dog, 50% to 60% in a standing forward bend, and about 25% to 33% in plough and legs up the wall. Glaucoma UK's "double" is true of headstands, not of every pose.
Eye pressure rises during heavy lifts and settles within about a minute, but there's no proof that lifting causes glaucoma or makes it worse. Breathe out and keep the weights moderate.
You can. Goggles raise eye pressure while you wear them, more if they're small and tight, so choose larger ones, especially after a trabeculectomy.
Balance and functional exercises cut falls in older people, while walking programmes on their own had uncertain effects. Add balance work 3 or more times a week.
Glaucoma UK says the vast majority of people with glaucoma in the UK keep useful sight for life, and that of 20 people with glaucoma, about 17 barely notice any vision loss.
Yes: it's good for your general health, and Glaucoma UK says glaucoma should not stop you from getting daily exercise. More active people with glaucoma lost side vision more slowly in some studies, though that doesn't prove exercise caused it. Keep using your eye drops.
For a while. Aerobic exercise lowers eye pressure after a session, about twice as much in people who weren't active before. In a small study, 3 months of training lowered it by 20%, but it went back up within 3 weeks of stopping.
Yes, with changes: skip headstands, shoulder stands and other full inversions, and keep poses such as downward dog brief or use a supported version that keeps your head higher. Breathe gently without holding your breath, and ask your eye team, especially if your glaucoma is advanced.
Full inversions such as headstand, shoulder stand, plough and handstands. Of the poses tested, downward dog and a standing forward bend raised eye pressure most, and legs up the wall least. The American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests resting your hands on a chair or a wall, or your head on a support, to keep your head higher, though no study has measured these versions.
Usually, with moderate weights. Eye pressure rises during heavy lifts, most with big lifts, long sets and a held breath, and settles within about a minute. Breathe out through every effort, and with moderate to advanced glaucoma, ask your eye team whether to lift heavy at all.
Yes. Small, tight goggles raise eye pressure while you wear them, so choose larger ones, and Glaucoma UK says this matters even more after a trabeculectomy. After eye surgery, ask your eye team when you can swim.
For most people, no: running and other aerobic exercise lower eye pressure afterwards. With pigment dispersion syndrome or pigmentary glaucoma, jogging can release pigment inside the eye, so ask your eye team about a check before and after running.
Mostly. The moves that need care roll your legs over your head, such as the roll-over, jack knife, boomerang and control balance, or hang your head down, such as long roll-downs. Choose upright, seated and lying moves and breathe out on each effort.
Wall and incline push-ups keep your head higher than floor push-ups. Long leg holds such as wall sits raise eye pressure while you hold them, so keep holds short and keep breathing. An eye specialist in the American Academy of Ophthalmology's update notes eye pressure can rise during push-ups too, and advises common sense.
Usually the day after laser trabeculoplasty, a few days after laser iridotomy, and 1 to 2 weeks after most minimally invasive surgery. After a trabeculectomy or a drainage tube, it takes several weeks, with no bending, straining or heavy lifting at first. Follow your own eye unit's advice, because hospital leaflets differ.
It can: balance is poorer with side vision loss, and people with glaucoma in England were about 38% more likely to have a fall recorded. Strength and balance exercise cuts falls in older people, so do balance work 3 or more times a week, in good light and on a clear floor.
Timolol drops are a beta blocker, and some of the medicine passes into your blood, so your heart rate may be lower than expected: go by how hard exercise feels. Never stop or change your drops yourself, and call 999 for chest pain or a slow, fast or irregular heartbeat.
Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Stop and get advice for chest pain, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or fainting, or new pain, and check with your doctor or midwife first if they have told you to limit activity. Health disclaimer.
