Musicians face risk says study

Professional brass and woodwind musicians should be monitored for signs of glaucoma due to their increased risk of developing the disease according to a new study.

The research, conducted in the UK and Germany, investigated the effects of intraocular pressure and blood pressure of 37 brass and 15 woodwind players.

The researchers found that temporary and sometimes dramatic elevations and fluctuations in intraocular pressure, coupled with daily instrument play, puts professional wind instrument players at increased risk of developing glaucoma.

Lead researcher Gunnar Schmidtmann of the Department of Vision Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University recommended all musicians visit their optometrist frequently. However, misreporting in the national press led to stories claiming that bagpipe playing 'can make you blind', even though pipers were never included in the study.