Impact of Meditation on Reducing Stress in Glaucoma Patients: An Electronic 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 meditation for potentially enhancing the QOL and reducing stress in glaucoma patients. Upon recruitment, participants will undergo blocked randomization to either the intervention arm or usual care arm. Participants in each arm will complete online questionnaires at baseline and weeks 1, 3, 6, and 12 to collect data on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), perceived stress, and behaviour using REDCap. REDCap is an online data collection and survey tool hosted by the Office of Research Services of Lawson Research Institute. Our study can help to assess the feasibility of conducting a study on breathing exercises followed by meditation to assess its effects in a sample of patients with glaucoma.

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Key information

Conditions

Glaucoma Eye Diseases Ocular Hypertension

Age range

65 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Diagnosed with glaucoma or suspected to have glaucoma.
Aged 65 and above.
Able to provide valid informed consent to participate in the research study.
Able to read and understand English.
No significant self-reported or physician-diagnosed mental health disorder.
Independent access to a computer to participate in virtual sessions.
Able to sit comfortably for 30 minutes without any major pain or discomfort, can hear well enough to follow verbal instructions when the eyes are closed, and be in good general physical health.
Willing to practice meditation at home for ~15 minutes per day.

Exclusion criteria

Inability to provide valid informed consent.
Significant communication barriers or lack of English proficiency that prevents participants from completing the questionnaires.
Self-reported substance abuse or dependence within the past 3 months.
Having acutely unstable medical illnesses, including delirium or acute cerebrovascular or cardiovascular events within the last 6 months.
Having irreversible vision loss that prevents one from completing the questionnaires.
Participation in a study involving similar techniques.
Established meditation practice, defined as engaging in any formal meditation (e.g., mindfulness, mantra, breath-focused) more than twice per week within the past 3 months.

Treatment and study plan

Meditation + Usual Care

Other

Meditation is a guided technique that helps to reduce stress, therefore inducing physiological and mental relaxation whilst the eyes are shut.

Primary outcomes

Incidence of Quality of Life as measured by GQOL- 15 in Glaucoma Patients

Time frame: Data will be collected at baseline and post-intervention at Week 1, 3, 6, and 12.

HRQoL will be assessed using Glaucoma Quality of Life-15 (GQL-15). GQL-15 is a disease-specific, validated, self-administered questionnaire designed to measure HRQoL in patients with glaucoma. The questionnaire comprises of 15 items on daily functioning across 5 factors: central and near vision (2 items), peripheral vision (6 items), glare and dark adaptation (6 items), and outdoor mobility (1 item). Patients rate these questions on a 5-point Likert scale of difficulty ranging from "1 = no difficulty" to "5 = severe difficulty".

Secondary outcomes

Incidence of Stress as Measured by PSS-10 in Glaucoma Patients

Time frame: Data will be collected at baseline and post-intervention at Week 1, 3, 6, and 12.

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a 10-item questionnaire widely used to measure the perception of stress. It is a measure of the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. Items were designed to tap how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded respondents find their lives. The scale also includes several direct queries about current levels of experienced stress. Individual scores on the PSS can range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress. Scores ranging from 0-13 would be considered low stress; scores ranging from 14-26 would be considered moderate stress; and scores ranging from 27-40 would be considered high perceived stress.
Incidence of Behavior as measured by Consideration of Future Consequences - 14 (CFC-14) in Glaucoma Patients

Time frame: Data will be collected at baseline and post-intervention at Week 1, 3, 6, and 12.

In previous research, consideration of future consequences (CFC) has been recognized as a critical factor influencing individuals' engagement in health-promoting behaviors. Strathman et al. initially developed a 12-item unidimensional Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC) scale to measure individual differences in temporal orientation. This scale assesses the degree to which individuals consider the potential impact of their current behavior on immediate or distant outcomes.38 Low CFC scores indicate that individuals are more inclined to pursue immediate rewards, whereas high scores are observed among individuals who prioritize future advantages and sacrifice immediate gratification.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2026
Primary completion: 2028
Study completion: 2028
First posted: Aug 18, 2026
Registry last updated: Aug 18, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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