Ocular perfusion pressure

About this calculator

Ocular perfusion pressure is an estimate of the pressure pushing blood into the eye, worked out from blood pressure and eye pressure. This calculator gives the mean value and the diastolic and systolic versions often reported in glaucoma research.

What you need

• Your blood pressure (top and bottom numbers)
• Your eye pressure
• Your position when measured, and whether both were taken at about the same time

How it is calculated

Mean arterial pressure (MAP) = (systolic + 2 × diastolic) ÷ 3. Estimated mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) = 2/3 × MAP − eye pressure, the conventional estimate for seated measurements. Diastolic perfusion pressure = diastolic − eye pressure; systolic perfusion pressure = systolic − eye pressure.

What the result can and cannot tell you

This is an indirect estimate. Blood flow also depends on the resistance of the blood vessels and on the eye’s ability to regulate its own flow. There is no single safe or unsafe number; your eye doctor reads it with your blood pressure history and glaucoma findings. Do not change blood pressure or glaucoma medicines because of this number; talk to the doctors who prescribe them.

References

1. Costa and colleagues: Ocular perfusion pressure in glaucoma. Acta Ophthalmologica
2. Non-invasive assessment of central retinal artery pressure and age and posture-dependent changes
3. Netra Eye Institute: Looking beyond eye pressure, the vascular side of glaucoma

Related

• Eye pressure reduction
• Eye pressure fluctuation
• Nerve fiber layer trend
• Blood flow and glaucoma
• All eye calculators

For information only. These tools explain numbers and do not replace an eye examination or your eye doctor’s advice. Values you enter stay in your browser.