Diurnal variation of intraocular pressure and the overriding effects of sleep.

Intraocular pressure (IOP) was recorded regularly over a 24-h period in 13 normal subjects. All subjects showed a dramatic rise in IOP after sleep, ranging from 37 to 248%. In a second experiment, IOP decreased when 15 subjects remained upright and awake throughout the night. When sleep was not permitted IOP was lowest at 3:00 a.m. (0300); when six of these subjects were permitted to sleep from 0600 to 0800, they showed a rapid and significant increase in IOP of up to 150%, whereas the remaining nine subjects showed (posturally induced) increases of up to 38%.