Physical Fitness and Vision Health
You may already visit the gym for your heart, your mood, or your waistline, but there’s another reason – your OPP.
Ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) is a measurement of the force with which blood goes through the capillaries in the eyes. Low OPP has been found to be a risk factor for glaucoma.
A large, long range study at the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology has recently found that there is a variable that hadn’t previously been considered: exercise.
The study followed more than 5600 adults between 48 and 90 years of age for 15 years. The results were clear: people who took moderate physical exercise during this time had better OPP and less chance of developing glaucoma.
The researchers adjusted for social class, weight, gender, and other factors, and still saw the benefit of regular physical exercise. People who got a good amount of regular exercise, either at work or in leisure time, had 25% lower risk of having a dangerous OPP level.
Until now, surgery and medication have been the only possible treatments for people at risk of developing glaucoma. While there had been sugestions of a connection between high blood pressure and glaucoma, it was uncertain and unclear. Since regular exercise can help with high blood pressure, it is possible that the correlation between exercise and lessened risk was muddying the water.
“It appears that OPP is largely determined by cardiovascular fitness,” Paul J. Foster, MD PhD, FRCS(Ed), of the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology has been quoted as saying.
The risks of surgery and medication make exercise a more appealing treatment option, and exercise is also a much more cost effective choice. What’s more, exercise is good for your mood, your waistline, and your heart, so there’s no downside to trying it.
Only 35% of adults in the UK take enough exercise to get the benefits for their vision. “Regular exercise” in this case is defined as moving three times a week or more, for an average of thirty minutes a day of exercise. While different areas of the UK show differing levels of activity, with Northern Ireland trailing at only 20%, most of us don’t get enough exercise to improve our vision.
This new information might be enough to motivate us to get on our bikes, talk a walk, or have a swim. In addition, use an online eye test regularly to track changes in your vision, and see your optician for a regular eye exam.
About The Author :
OpticianEyeTests.co.uk is an informational website with articles on eye health and vision care, free online eye tests, and tools to help consumers choose the right glasses and remember to order a new supply of contact lenses in time for best eye health.
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