Exercise and healthier eyesight

A new study completed by researchers in Stockholm has concluded that regular exercise and healthier eye sight are linked, stating that those who exercise regularly may help to stave off the development of age-related cataracts.

The study, which was compiled by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, focused on the effect of exercise on the risk of developing cataracts.

It looked at more than 52,000 Swedish men and women between the ages of 45 and 83 and found that over an average of 12 years, the most active participants in the study had a 13% reduction in risk when compared to the least active.

The findings add to the existing body of evidence around the effect of regular exercise on eye health, specifically a reduction in the risk of developing age-related eye conditions.

Commenting, Lesley Cree of Lesley Cree Opticians in Radcliffe on Trent said, “Another study was undertaken in 2009 in the US on more than 30,000 people who ran regularly. This too showed that intense activity helped to reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.”

She added, “These results prove that regular exercise is beneficial to long term eye health. It is therefore important for those who have desk jobs or go for long periods without activity to take part in physical activity, such as walking or cycling, as this will help decrease their likelihood of age-related cataracts and other eye related diseases.”