{"id":1933,"date":"2026-10-20T08:53:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T08:53:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/eye-health\/conditions\/high-eye-pressure-normal-values-and-what-raises-it\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:58:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:58:46","slug":"high-eye-pressure-normal-values-and-what-raises-it","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/en\/eye-health\/conditions\/high-eye-pressure-normal-values-and-what-raises-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Normal Eye Pressure? Range by Age, and What Raises It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  4. What Is Normal Eye Pressure? Range by Age, and What Raises It<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t

    What Is Normal Eye Pressure? Range by Age, and What Raises It<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    What is normal eye pressure? In adults it is about 10 to 21 mmHg, with an average near 15 mmHg. The sources we checked give one adult range, not one per age. A reading above 21 is high, and in the UK 24 or more means referral to an eye specialist. Glaucoma can occur at normal pressure, so the optic nerve is checked too. Laser Istanbul Clinic’s glaucoma care is led by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Sat\u0131c\u0131.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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    What is normal eye pressure?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t

    Normal eye pressure is about 10 to 21 mmHg, with an average of around 15 mmHg in healthy adults.<\/strong> That is the range reported in a 2023 review in Cureus<\/em>; the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) gives the typical range as about 10 to 20 mmHg. The unit, mmHg, means millimetres of mercury, the same unit used for blood pressure, but the two are unrelated: high blood pressure does not mean high eye pressure.<\/p>\n

    Eye pressure, also called intraocular pressure (IOP), is the pressure of the fluid inside the eye. A clear fluid called aqueous humour is made all the time and leaves the eye through a drainage angle. When the drainage works poorly, fluid builds up and the pressure rises; over time, that can damage the optic nerve, the cable that carries what the eye sees to the brain (AAO).<\/p>\n

    Here is how to read a measurement:<\/p>

    Eye pressure reading<\/th>What it usually means<\/th>What usually happens next<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    About 10\u201321 mmHg<\/th>Within the normal range<\/td>Routine eye tests. Glaucoma can still occur at normal pressure, so the optic nerve is checked too<\/td><\/tr>
    22\u201323 mmHg<\/th>Just above the usual range<\/td>Below the UK referral threshold. Doctors usually repeat the measurement and look at your optic nerve and visual field<\/td><\/tr>
    24 mmHg or more<\/th>High eye pressure<\/td>In the UK, NICE advises referral to an eye specialist<\/td><\/tr>
    Very high pressure with a painful red eye, headache, halos and nausea<\/th>Possible acute angle-closure glaucoma<\/td>Emergency: get care straight away<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

    One caution: the AAO and the 2023 Cureus<\/em> review give a population range, not a personal target. The National Eye Institute (NEI) puts it plainly: normal eye pressure varies by person, and what is normal for one person could be high for another. A single reading is a starting point, not a diagnosis.<\/p><\/div>\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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    What is the normal eye pressure by age?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t

    The sources we checked give one normal range for adults and do not split it by age.<\/strong> So the figure for a 40-year-old, a 60-year-old and a 70-year-old is the same 10\u201321 mmHg. What studies show about age is more nuanced than “pressure rises as you get older”:<\/p>\n\t\t\t