Want a better eye sight – Stay Active

Getting into your shoes daily and going for regular exercise will pay you off not only with good physical health but you will be less likely to develop age- related macular degeneration (ARMD), most common cause of blindness in elderly, a British study found.

It was found that those who go for regular walks will cut off the danger to 30% while those who do proper rigorous exercise at least thrice a week will cut off the danger to nearly 70% of developing the disease

ARMD affects the macula, the part of the eye which helps in picking up color and seeing fine details. This affects the central vision and thus activities like reading, driving and sewing are affected. Presently, it affects approximately 11% of the U.S population aged 65 to 74.

It happens in two different forms, Wet and Dry.

In “wet” AMD, the symptom could be when the straight lines seems to appear wavy and thus one can loose central vision quickly while in “dry” AMD, the symptom is blurred vision and it generally affects both eyes but sometimes vision can be lost in one eye while the other remain unaffected.

In this study the researchers studied the effect of exercise on the Wet AMD, which is more severe form of AMD.

The scientists studied a group of more than 4,000 men and women aged between 43 and 86 years old, in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

They were regularly assessed after a period of five years and complete information regarding their lifestyle and exercise were taken like how many times they climb stairs, what kind of formal physical exercise they indulge into and how many blocks they walk daily.

It was found that nearly one in four had an active lifestyle. One in four climbed more than six flights of stairs daily and one in eight went for daily walks.

The Wisconsin scientists found that people who did vigorous exercise for at least thrice a week or had active lifestyle were 70% less likely to develop wet AMD.

Those who went for regular walks say for more than twelve blocks daily were 30% less likely to develop the disease.

The other risk factors like age, weight, blood fat levels were also taken into accounts which were thought to play a role in AMD but still the results were found to be same.

Dr Michael Knudtson, of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, said that other factor such as diet didn’t ruled out the affect it has on eye health.

He said: "But physical activity is known to reduce systemic inflammation and irregularities in cells lining the arteries - both of which are thought to have a role in the condition.”

"Physically active people are also likely to be 'biologically' younger than those with a sedentary lifestyle which could also be important as AMD is associated with ageing" he added.

Some studies confirmed that people who have diets rich in green leafy vegetables can lower the risk of developing AMD.

Other studies showed that those who regularly ate oily fish (as it has fatty acid, including Omega-3 which is good for eye) are also less likely to develop AMD. Than people should go for regular eye check ups as early detection is as important as prevention.

All in all diet along with active lifestyle can help in keeping AMD at bay.