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18 Insight Magazine Winter 2025 Talking glaucomaThe ups and downs ofeye pressureLiz Ball, Health Information ManagerEveryone%u2019s eye pressure goes up and down, and this is perfectly normal. If you were to measure your eye pressure several times a day every day you%u2019d get lots of different readings. So how much can and should we rely on oneoff eye pressure test results?Each time you blink, your eye pressure briefly rises. Adults blink an average of 14%u201317 times a minute. That%u2019s 14%u201317 little spikes in eye pressure every minute. Blinking is important: it helps spread tears. Tears help keep the surface of your eye healthy.Some activities increase eye pressure for a short time. These include yoga poses where your head is lower than your heart, playing a brass instrument or lifting weights. When you finish the activity, eye pressure comes back down within a few minutes.In contrast, for most people exercise such as walking or jogging lowers eye pressure for a short time. Note that jogging may raise eye pressure for people with some eye conditions such as pigment dispersion syndrome.Eye pressure is usually highest at night and early in the morning. It falls as the day goes %u201cSome activities increase eye pressure for a short time