EFFECT OF ACUTE HYDROGEN-RICH WATER INTAKE ON INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE IN HEALTHY SUBJECTS.

Abstract

This prospective, randomized, double-blind crossover study enrolled 24 healthy volunteers (5 male, 19 female; ages 20–33) to examine how rapid consumption of 1260 ml of hydrogen-rich water (HRW), administered in three doses over 15 minutes, affects intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT) relative to hydrogen-free water (placebo). Both conditions produced statistically significant IOP elevations from baseline. The peak rise reached 2.7 ± 2.0 mmHg at 25 minutes post-ingestion for HRW and 1.4 ± 2.0 mmHg at 35 minutes for placebo. Although mean IOP values did not differ significantly between groups, clinically meaningful individual IOP increases occurred more frequently after HRW (58%) than after placebo (25%). CCT remained unchanged throughout. These findings suggest that rapid HRW ingestion may carry a greater IOP-related risk than equivalent volumes of plain water, warranting further investigation in populations with glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

Mechanism

Rapid ingestion of a large fluid volume may alter plasma osmolarity and increase aqueous humor production, elevating IOP; whether hydrogen itself contributes independently to this effect remains unclear from the current data.