A new study suggests that exercise - especially of medium and high intensity - can reduce the risk of glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness in the world.

For the prevention of the disease, authors recommend daily practicing the simplest exercises, such as running and walking.

The authors of the project, the staff of the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) came to their conclusions on the basis of an analysis of national statistics collected in the US. According to researchers, the most active residents suffer from glaucoma 73% less likely to hypodynamic compatriots.

The results of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology held in New Orleans.

Today, glaucoma can not be cured, but with a timely diagnosis, drug treatment can slow the progression of the disease and maintain visual acuity for many decades.

The epidemic of glaucoma is gaining momentum.

In today's world, glaucoma is considered the leading cause of blindness.

According to statistics, more than 1 million people in Russia suffer from glaucoma - a disease that affects the optic nerve and leads to irreversible loss of vision.

According to experts of the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2013 there were more than 64 million glaucoma patients aged 40-80 years.

This figure will increase to almost 112 million by 2040.

Although glaucoma can affect everyone, certain groups are more likely to suffer from the disease. For example, in the United States it is more often and earlier sick people from Africa than people of European origin. It is also proved that glaucoma often develops in patients with diabetes mellitus.

To preserve vision, experts recommend:.

• Timely treatment of diabetes mellitus.

• Monitor blood pressure.

• Maintain a healthy body weight.

• Stay physically active In our country for a long time held the view that the lifestyle of a person does not particularly affect the course and prognosis of glaucoma. But recent studies show a link between intraocular pressure and our diet, activity, daily routine.

Statistics - the key to understanding disease.

According to Dr. Victoria Tseng of UCLA, exercise normalizes blood flow in the eye and helps reduce intraocular pressure. Therefore, Cheng and her colleagues decided to study the relationship between physical activity and glaucoma, taking as a basis the data of the National Health and Nutrition Research.

The NHANES study was conducted over many decades with the participation of adults and children - from the 1960s to the beginning of the 21st century.

This research is considered to be a unique information storehouse, allowing to track the connection between various diseases and environmental factors.

Thanks to periodic examinations of participants and interviews, NHANES allows you to guess how your diet or lifestyle 30-40 years ago influenced health in old age. Moreover, since 2003, the authors of the project began to use accelerometers that measure physical activity.

Walking sports protects against glaucoma.

California scientists fully utilized the capabilities of accelerometers. They analyzed the relationship between walking speed, the number of steps per week and the risk of glaucoma among middle-aged and elderly NHANES participants.

The "standard" was as follows: 7000 steps daily are equivalent to 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least 5 days a week (US recommended).

The analysis showed that an increase in walking speed for every 10% is associated with a reduction in the incidence of glaucoma by 6%. The increase in weekly physical activity for 10 minutes is accompanied by a 25%.

"Our study suggests that for the prevention of glaucoma is not enough to exercise - you need to do it more intensively. Regular running and walking, in our opinion, contribute to improving the outflow of intraocular fluid and the normalization of the trophism of the organ of vision. This is an affordable prevention for everyone, "- says Cheng.

Although up to specific clinical recommendations are still far away, an additional half an hour of physical activity for most of us will not hurt.

medbe. en.