Physical Exercise and Eye Health

Physical Exercise and Eye Health

• Introduction to physical exercise and eye health
• Eye disorders associated with lack of exercise
  • Age related macular degeneration
  • Cataract
• Evidence supporting the role of exercise in protecting eye health
  • Moderate exercise
  • Vigorous exercise

cataract and age related macular degeneration, two of the leading causes of vision loss in Australia.

Due to the other positive effects (e.g. improved cardiovascular health, weight loss) of exercise, it may also have a non-direct protective effect in relation to other eye diseases (e.g. diabetic retinopathy, a disease which occurs in diabetes, for which metabolic abnormalities and obesity are risk factors).

This tool needs Javascript enabled to run.

The formula for calculating your body mass index is:
BMI = weight (kilograms) / (height (metres) * height (metres))

For example:
A man who weighs 85 kilograms and is 1.8 metres tall would have a BMI of
BMI = 85 / (1.8 * 1.8)
BMI = 85 / 3.24
BMI = 26.2

This information will be collected for educational purposes, however it will remain anonymous.

For more information on age related macular degeneration, including the effect of smoking, exercise and nutrition on eyes, as well as some useful animations and tips to keep eyes healthy, see Macular Degeneration.

Cataracts.

 

Fitness.

Reference

1. Williams PT. Prospective study of incident age-related macular degeneration in relation to vigorous physical activity during a 7-year follow-up. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009; 50(1): 101-6.
2. Chiu CJ, Milton RC, Gensler G, Taylor A. Association between dietary glycemic index and age-related macular degeneration in nondiabetic participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007; 86(1): 180-8.
3. Seddon JM, Cote J, Davis N, Rosner B. Progression of age-related macular degeneration: Association with body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio. Arch Ophthalmol. 2003; 121(6): 785-92.
4. Cancer Council Australia, Eye Research Australia. Position statement: Eye protection from ultraviolet radiation [online]. 31 August 2006 [cited 1 April 2009]. Available from URL: http://www.cancer.org.au/ file/ policypublications/ pseyeprotectionaug06.pdf
5. World Health Organization. Global disease burden from solar ultraviolet radiation. 2006 [cited 1 April 2009]. Available from URL: http://www.who.int/ mediacentre/ factsheets/ fs305/ en/ index.html
6. Panchapakesan J, Mitchell P, Tumuluri K, Rochtchina E, Foran S, Cumming RG. Five year incidence of cataract surgery: The Blue Mountains Eye Study. Br J Ophthalmol. 2003; 87(2): 168-72.
7. Williams PT. Prospective epidemiological cohort study of reduced risk for incident cataract with vigorous physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness during a 7-year follow-up. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009; 50(1): 95-100.
8. Risk factors for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Arch Ophthalmol. 1992; 110(12): 1701-8.
9. Knudtson MD, Klein R, Klein BE. Physical activity and the 15-year cumulative incidence of age-related macular degeneration: The Beaver Dam Eye Study. Br J Ophthalmol. 2006; 90(12): 1461-3.
10. Paunksnis A, Kusleika S, Kusleikaite M. The relationship of the intensity of lens opacity with physical activity. Medicina (Kaunas). 2006; 42(9): 738-43.

Related Diseases:

• Glaucoma
• Cataracts
• Macular Degeneration

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Article Dates:

Modified: 3/6/2010

Created: 15/7/2009

Physical Exercise and Eye Health