Anxiety, Depression, Glaucoma, Quality of Life, Sleep Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
Health-related Quality of Life, Glaucoma, COVID-19, Breathing, Meditation
Brief summary
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 an intervention titled Breathing Exercises followed by Meditation for potentially enhancing the QOL and mental health of glaucoma patients. Upon recruitment, participants will undergo blocked randomization to either the intervention arm or usual care arm, stratified by sex. Participants in each arm will complete online questionnaires at baseline and after 12 weeks to collect data on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), depression symptoms, anxiety, and sleep quality using REDCap, an electronic data capturing system provided by Lawson Health Research Institute (LHRI). Our study can help to assess the feasibility of conducting a pilot study on breathing exercises followed by meditation to assess its effects in a sample of patients with glaucoma.
Interventions
Breathing exercises and Meditation taught by Prasanna Wellness, a non-profit organization, helps dissolve stress and create a proper system in the mind. These breathing exercises include slow deep breaths and rapid breaths and are followed by meditation. Meditation is a guided meditation that helps to eliminate stress and establish an apposite system in the mind, therefore inducing physiological and mental relaxation whilst the eyes are shut. The proposed duration and frequency of the follow-up will be 60-minutes weekly for 11 weeks.
Sponsors
London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion and
Exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria 1. Patients diagnosed with glaucoma. 2. Patients aged 40-65. 3. Being able to provide valid informed consent to participate in the research study. 4. Being able to read and understand English. 5. Having no significant self-reported or physician-diagnosed mental health disorder. 6. Independent access to a computer to participate in virtual sessions. 7. Must be able to sit comfortably for 30-35 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.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Depression | Baseline visit, Week 1, Week 3, Week 6, Week 12 | Depression is a feeling of severe despondency and dejection. Depression will be measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression (CES-D) score. |
| Change in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) | Baseline visit, Week 1, Week 3, Week 6, Week 12 | HRQoL is an essential measure of quality of life related to health; it helps physician identify hidden morbidity in clinical care as well as improves patient-physician communications. HRQoL will be measured using time trade-off questionnaire |
| Change in Anxiety | Baseline visit, Week 1, Week 3, Week 6, Week 12 | Anxiety will be measured using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - Anxiety (HADS-A) subscale |
| Change in Sleep quality | Baseline visit, Week 1, Week 3, Week 6, Week 12 | Sleep quality as measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores. |
Countries
Canada
Contacts
Primary ContactMonali Malvankar, PhD
Outcome results
None listed