Wearing Too Tight Tie Make You at Risk of Blindness.

Wearing a tightly-knotted tie may help a man look smart but it can increase the risk of serious eye disease, warned doctors.

They say a tie that fits too tightly around the neck - or a fat neck itself - can cause the eyes to bulge by putting pressure on the main neck vein.

This, in turn, may raise the internal pressure of the eye, one of the causes of glaucoma, a sight- threatening disorder affecting thousands of Britons.

The small study in New York measured the pressure of the fluid in the eyeball in a small group of men before and after they attached their tie.

They found a significant rise - and warn that long-term pressure rises have been linked to the condition glaucoma.

Researchers from the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary in New York tested 40 men, half of whom were healthy, and half of whom had already been diagnosed with glaucoma.

Their "intraocular pressure" was measured, then they were asked to put on a "slightly uncomfortable" tie for three minutes.

They were tested again, and 60% of the glaucoma patients, and 70% of the healthy men were found to have significant rises in pressure. As soon as the ties were removed, the pressure fell again.

What is Glaucoma? Glaucoma is a chronic condition where the pressure in the eyeball increases, eventually damaging the optic nerve and causing loss of vision because it is difficult for fluid in the eye to drain away.

At first only the extreme edges of the field of vision are affected, but if left untreated the condition can cause blindness.

Vein squeeze -The experts say that the ties are probably causing the problem because they are constricting the jugular vein, the main blood vessel returning blood from the head towards the heart.

They add that such rises in pressure could also lead to normal, healthy patients being diagnosed as at risk of glaucoma by mistake.

Dr Robert Ritch, a glaucoma specialist, said that men who wore a tight necktie daily could cause a sustained increase in internal eye blood pressure and 'push up' the risk of glaucoma.

Another problem was that wearing a tight tie might give a falsely high reading of eye blood pressure during routine checks, possibly resulting in an incorrect diagnosis.

The study team claims a tight tie, particularly when worn by those with fat necks, constricts the jugular vein which raises venous pressure followed by pressure within the eye.