Exercise Could Lower Age Linked Eye Disease Risk

2006/11/01

Study finds sees fewer cases of severe macular degeneration among active seniors

Exercise can reduce the risk of developing a more severe form of age-related eye trouble by 70 percent, researchers say.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition in which the light-sensitive cells in the macula at the back of the eye stop working. There are two types of AMD, dry and wet. Wet AMD is more highly linked to serious vision loss.

"We found that people who were more physically active had a reduced risk of developing late-stage AMD," said study author Michael Knudtson, a biostatistician at the University of Wisconsin.

The report was published in the Oct. 31 online issue of the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Starting in 1988, Knudtson and colleagues collected data on nearly 3,900 men and women, aged 43 to 86. The patients underwent eye exams and were asked about the amount of exercise they got. They were then tracked every five years for 15 years.

The researchers found that one in four of the individuals maintained an active lifestyle, and almost one in four climbed more than six flights of stairs a day. About one in eight walked more than 12 blocks a day.

Knudtson's group found that people with an active lifestyle were 70 percent less likely to develop the more serious wet AMD, compared with those who had a sedentary lifestyle. In addition, people who walked regularly were 30 percent less likely to develop wet AMD, they found.

Knudtson noted that other factors, such as diet, may also explain the findings. Yet physical activity is known to reduce inflammation, which is thought to play a part in AMD.