Impact of Breathing Exercises and Meditation on Improving Quality of Life in Glaucoma Patients: An Electronic Pilot Feasibility Study

Glaucoma is a chronic disease that causes loss of vision and potentially blindness as a result of optic nerve damage, often due to increased intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is currently the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.1 In 2020, 4.1 million and 3.6 million adults over the age of 50 suffered from mild to severe glaucoma-induced visual impairment and blindness, respectively.1 However, these figures are likely underestimated since glaucoma can remain asymptomatic until later stages in disease progression.2 The relaxation response evoked by mind-body interventions, such as breathing exercises and meditation, is known to reduce stress and improve quality of life (QOL). In a recent study, mindfulness-based meditation was found to reduce intraocular pressure and improve QOL in patients with glaucoma.3 A feasibility study will be conducted using a mixed-method design to assess the feasibility of the online delivery of an intervention titled Breathing Exercises followed by Meditation for potentially enhancing the QOL and mental health of glaucoma patients. Upon recruitment, participants will undergo blocked randomization to either the intervention arm or usual care arm, stratified by sex. Participants in each arm will complete online questionnaires at baseline and after 12 weeks to collect data on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), depression symptoms, anxiety, and sleep quality using REDCap, an electronic data capturing system provided by Lawson Health Research Institute (LHRI). Our study can help to assess the feasibility of conducting a pilot study on breathing exercises followed by meditation to assess its effects in a sample of patients with glaucoma.