The Acute Effect of Exercise Type And Timing on Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Intra-Ocular Pressure in Individuals With Glaucoma (The ACHIEVE-project).

NCT07413614 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: S69872_ACHIEVE1187925N
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

ACHIEVE aims to determine whether exercise can be a safe and effective non-drug approach to improve blood pressure control in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Although exercise is a promising and potentially well-accepted therapy, its use in clinical care is limited because the safety and effectiveness of different exercise types (aerobic, isometric, moderate, or high intensity) and timing (morning versus evening) have not been systematically studied in people with POAG and elevated blood pressure. This study will evaluate the safety and short-term effects of different exercise modalities and timings on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure and blood pressure variability in patients with POAG and elevated blood pressure. It is hypothesized that:

• Each exercise session will lead to a temporary reduction in blood pressure (post-exercise hypotension).
• The greatest and longest-lasting reduction will occur after high-intensity aerobic exercise performed in the morning. It is also expected that all exercise types and timings will be safe for participants.

Conditions

Glaucoma Open-Angle Primary; Hypertension; Elevated Blood Pressure

Keywords

Ambulatory blood pressure; High intensity interval training; Isometric Exercise; Intra-ocular pressure; Moderate continuous training; Primary open angle glaucoma; Hypertension; Blood pressure variability; Exercise

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• 24 hours Ambulatory blood pressure

  Participants will be provided with a validated automated monitor after each of the four experimental exercise session. The ABPMpro-Research model (SOMNOmedics GmbH, Randersacker, GER) will be used as this device allows for the simultaneous assessment of BP and physical activity. The device will be programmed to obtain ambulatory blood pressure readings at intervals of 15 minutes during the day (from 06 AM to 11 PM) and at 30 minutes intervals during the night (11 PM to 06 AM). The actual sleep time will be obtained by a sleep diary, which is the preferred method as shown by international recommendations. From the ABPM following outcome parameters will be derived (included but not limited to): evolution of ambulatory SBP (magnitude + duration of BP reduction) as primary outcome; secondary outcomes: mean daytime BP, mean nighttime, BP, BP variability and nighttime dipping profile.

  During the 24-hour period beginning immediately after completion of each of the four experimental exercise sessions.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Intra-ocular pressure

  Immediately after completion of each of the four experimental exercise sessions.

Study Arms (2)

Evening Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Thirty participants will complete four single experimental exercise sessions (of which one control session) in the evening (5-8 PM) in random order within a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of eight weeks separated by at least one week between two sessions.

Behavioral: Exercise

Morning Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Thirty participants will complete four single experimental exercise sessions (of which one control session) in the morning (8-11 AM) in random order within a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of eight weeks separated by at least one week between two sessions.

Behavioral: Exercise

Interventions

Exercise BEHAVIORAL

Participants will complete four single experimental exercise sessions in a randomized order within a maximum of eight weeks, separated by at least 1 week (7 days) between two sessions. Group allocation will be based on personal preference with 30 patients performing all exercise sessions in the morning (8-11 AM) and 30 patients performing all exercise sessions in the evening (5-8 PM). Each individual will perform his/her session on the same time of day and will be asked to go to bed at a similar time. The four bouts of exercise are defined according to the following FITT-parameters: * MCT: 1 session of indoor cycling at 65% of VO2-reserve, 45 min, aerobic endurance * HIIT: 1 session of indoor cycling, 4 min at 85% of VO2-reserve interspersed by 3 min at 60% of the VO2-reserve, 28 min, aerobic exercise * IRT: 1 session of wall squatting, 6 x 1 min (with 2 min seated rest between each set), specific knee joint angle corresponding to 95% of HR-reserve * CONTROL: Seated rest for 30

Also known as: Moderate continuous training, High intensity interval training, Wall squatting, Isometric resistance training

Evening Group; Morning Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Voluntary written informed consent of the participant or their legally authorized representative has been obtained prior to any screening procedures
• At least 18 years of age at the time of signing the Informed Consent Form (ICF)
• Patients with POAG AND \[elevated BP OR hypertension (Average SBP on office BP and Home BP ≥120 mmHg AND/OR Average DBP on office BP and Home BP ≥70 mmHg 26) with or without the use of anti-hypertensive medication\]
• Patients without recent changes in medication and glaucoma care within the past four weeks.

You may not qualify if:

• Not able to provide informed consent
• SBP and/or DBP are ≥ 150 mmHg and/or ≥ 95 mmHg, respectively, on office BP at screening AND on home BP measurement conducted in the week following screening (to identify White Coat Hypertension) to ensure safety. These patients require referral for early treatment.
• Aberrant cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) at screening (Life-threatening arrhythmias, ischemia,…)
• Unable to perform one or more of the four exercise sessions due to physical and or mental limitations (severe lung disease, musculoskeletal issues, unstable angina,…)
• Severe osteoarthritis pending knee replacement surgery (these patients may be unable to perform the IRE (i.e. wall squat exercise)
• Unable to communicate in Dutch
• Active malignancy
• Participation in an interventional Trial with an investigational medicinal product (IMP), exercise intervention or device
• Unwillingness to repeat ABPM
• Relative contraindications to ABPM: diagnosed atrial fibrillation, nighttime workers, occupational drivers

Sponsors & Collaborators

• KU Leuven: lead
• Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven: collaborator
• Research Foundation Flanders: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

UZ Leuven/KU Leuven

Leuven, 3000, Belgium

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Glaucoma, Open-Angle; Hypertension; Motor Activity

Interventions

Exercise; High-Intensity Interval Training

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Glaucoma; Ocular Hypertension; Eye Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Physical Conditioning, Human

Central Study Contacts

Véronique Cornelissen, MSc, PhD, Associate Professor

CONTACT

+32 16 32 91 52; veronique.cornelissen@kuleuven.be

Marie Renier, MSc

CONTACT

marie.renier@kuleuven.be

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor, Head of the Research Group for Rehabilitation in Internal Disorders

Model Details: The study is a single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled, crossover trial. A total of 60 participants will take part in two randomized crossover experiments. Each participant will complete four single exercise sessions, including one control session, in random order over a period of four to eight weeks. There will be at least one week between each session. Outcomes will be assessed after each experimental exercise session to evaluate the acute effects of different exercise modalities and timings. Participants will be assigned to one of two groups based on their preferred time of day. Thirty participants will perform all sessions in the morning (8:00-11:00 AM), and thirty will perform all sessions in the evening (5:00-8:00 PM). Each participant will complete all sessions at the same time of day and will be asked to maintain a consistent bedtime throughout the study.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 26, 2025
• First Posted: February 17, 2026
• Study Start: April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Last Updated: February 17, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Locations

BE (1)