Protect Your Aging Eyesight--by Hitting the Gym!

So we're five months into the year… how's that New Years’ resolution going? Was your goal to eat healthier? Watch less TV? Keep a daily journal? If you've lost your momentum, maybe it's time to get re-energized and set some new goals!

One of the most broken New Years’ resolutions: exercising more.

Boost your resolve by looking at exercise in a different way. It isn't just good for your heart, lungs and muscles. Exercise can even protect your eyes from conditions that can harm them as you get older.

Here are four vision-threatening conditions that you can help prevent by hitting the gym:

Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration is a long name for a common condition—the deterioration of the central portion of your retina as you age. It’s the leading cause of severe vision loss for people over 60, and there’s no outright cure.

But science has discovered various ways to slow the condition, including drugs, laser therapy and vitamin D.

And recent experiments on mice suggest that higher levels of exercise-generated growth factors can reduce the likelihood of macular degeneration. Mice in the trials who exercised retained twice as many functioning retinal neurons as mice who didn’t, under conditions which roughly simulate aging in human eyes.

In humans, studies have suggested that regular exercise can reduce the risk of one type of age-related macular degeneration by as much as 70%.

Glaucoma
Glaucoma affects about one in 200 people under age 50, causing a loss of peripheral vision and, eventually, blindness. What’s worse—you won’t notice any symptoms until the disease is potentially untreatable.

To catch glaucoma early, there’s no substitute for an annual, comprehensive eye exam.

Meanwhile, there’s some evidence that regular aerobic exercise—as little as walking 20 minutes a day, four times a week—lowers intraocular pressure, one of the primary causes of glaucoma. Exercise may also improve blood flow to the retina and the optic nerve, to further reduce the risk of glaucoma.

High Blood Pressure
There are plenty of reasons to avoid high blood pressure—like avoiding a fatal stroke, for instance. But one little-known effect of high blood pressure is the damage it does to the blood vessels in the retina, a condition called hypertensive retinopathy.

Along with vision problems and headaches, hypertensive retinopathy can also trigger swelling of the central portion of the retina and bleeding in the back of the eye. Bad news.

The good news is, regular exercise lowers your blood pressure—just one more way your workout helps keep your eyes healthy.

Diabetes
Care to guess the leading cause of adult blindness in the United States? It’s diabetic retinopathy, damage to the retinal blood vessels caused by diabetes. Among its other potential health risks, diabetes also increases your risk for glaucoma and cataracts.

Millions of people develop type 1 diabetes as children, and they learn how to monitor their diet and exercise throughout their lives. They have no choice. But millions more develop type 2 diabetes, even though it’s 100% preventable—eat healthy, exercise regularly, and you’ll never have to worry about it.

Of course, you shouldn’t need me to tell you to eat right and exercise. You’ll feel better, you’ll look better, and with healthier eyes, you’ll be able to see the benefits better, too!

Eat right, hit the gym and do everything you can to keep your eyes healthy. Call Forsight Vision at 847-955-9393 or schedule an appointment online for your comprehensive annual eye exam!