Looking for an excuse to not wear a tie?
The information has been out awhile (2003), but researchers from the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary concluded that a tight necktie can increase the pressure inside the eye, potentially raising the risk for glaucoma. Researchers were prompted to study the issue when they noticed that a number of their thicker-necked patients’ intraocular pressure (IOP) decreased when they were asked to loosen their collars.
Of note is that the study was set up in a way to measure IOP at three intervals:
- Before the tie was worn
- Three minutes after the tie was tightened to a point of “slight discomfort”
- Three minutes after the tie was loosened
So what’s the take home? Although the increase in pressure inside the eye noted during the study was relatively minor, higher IOP is rarely a good thing. So if you don’t like ties and were looking for a reason to not wear them…you’re welcome. If you do like to wear ties, significant pressure on the jugular vein in the neck is the perceived culprit, so don’t overtighten to the point of discomfort.
