ABSTRACT
Intraocular pressure refers to the fluid pressure found within the eyes. It is a crucial aspect of maintaining the proper shape and functioning of the eyes. This cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the effect of cold compress on intraocular pressure of ocular normotensive subjects. This study was conducted in the optometry clinic of University of Benin with a total of 57 subjects (33 males and 24 females) who were within the age range of 17–30 years (mean age = 22.8±5.74). Intraocular pressure measurements were taken using a noncontact tonometer before and after cold compress application at 15mins, 30mins, 45mins and 60mins. The result showed that mean IOP of total population for right eye at baseline before cold compress was 17.9±1.76, then after cold compress at 15mins, 30mins, 45mins, and 60mins were 20.4 ±1.89, 17.2±1.69, 15.2±1.49, and 13.5±1.28 respectively, while for left eye the mean IOP of the total population at baseline before cold compress was 14.2±1.35, then after cold compress at 15mins, 30mins, 45mins, and 60mins were 20.2±1.87, 16.3±1.57, 14.0±1.38 and 11.8±1.10 respectively. One-way ANOVA test was carried out, and it revealed that in the total population, there was a statistically significant increment in mean IOP from baseline values before cold compress to 15 mins after cold compress with a p-value of 0.01 (p < 0.05). There was, however, a decrease in mean IOP towards baseline after 15 minutes of application. It also showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the mean IOP between males and females, with a p-value of 0.00 (p<0.05). It was concluded from this study that cold compress application had an effect on intraocular pressure of ocular normotensive subjects.
