Plasma cortisol in glaucoma.

Plasma cortisol level and intraocular tension were determined diurnally in 40 normal and 40 glaucomatous patients at 8 AM and 8 PM. It was observed that (1) plasma cortisol level was higher in glaucomatous patients at both the periods; (2) the diurnal variation in plasma cortisol was parallel to diurnal variation in intraocular tension in both glaucomatous and normal persons; and (3) the diurnal variation in plasma cortisol level also was more marked in glaucomatous patients as compared to normal persons.